CIDB Green Card Registration

Sunday, 16th of August 2009 - the 1-day CIDB Safety and Health Induction Course for Construction Personnel was conducted for all lecturers, staffs and ACIR students from the HVACR Department. Organized by the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, with the help of Mr Mohd Zaki Mohamed from the HVACR department, the event was held at Showroom 2, UniKL MFI. A total of 43 participants comprising of ACIR students, lecturers and staffs attended the induction course. It is a part of an integrated program that involves the registration and accreditation of construction personnel to enhance safety levels at construction sites.

The purposes of the induction course were to ensure that construction personnel aware the importance of a safe and healthy working place and to provide basic knowledge on safety and health at construction work site. The course is held also to inform construction personnel on the legal requirements related to safety and health

The event was scheduled at 8.30 am. However, all participants were asked to show up at 8.00 am to take their seatings, while waiting for the arrival of Mr Rahlan Ali from Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB). Joining the program were Mr Ng Wen Bin, Section Head of the HVACR Department, Mr Azrul Abdullah, Mr Marzuke Abdullah and Ms Hasnidazuwana Dauad, also from HVACR Department.

At 8.30 am, the program started with an introduction to CIDB. Here, students were briefed on the functions of the agency in the construction industry, followed by a corporate video presentation about CIDB.

Around 9.15 am, students were briefed on the benefit of the CIDB Green Card. The green card will be issued to participants of the program, which also serves as proof of registration with CIDB under the category of construction personnel. All construction personnel who have been registered with CIDB, and issued the green card are automatically covered by a special insurance scheme that insures the construction personnel against death and accidents. This insurance scheme is the result of CIDBs continuous efforts towards improving construction workers welfare as well as providing security for them and their loved ones. Since the launch of the scheme, construction personnel have enjoyed a 24 hour worldwide coverage which is not limited to accidents at work sites alone.

The program continues with the briefing of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). A 30 minutes break was given to all participants to freshen up.

At 10.45 am, the presentation continued with the OSHA briefing. OSHA's mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. In Malaysia, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. December 1, 1992 marked a new era in the promotion of Occupational Safety and Health in Malaysia. On this day the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was launched, after careful preparation and commitment from all parties to improve the safety and health of workers at the workplace in Malaysia. In the words of the Minister of Human Resources, Malaysia, NIOSH would be a "critical catalyst" in the promotion of occupational safety and health that would also serve as the "backbone" to create a "self-regulating occupational safety and health culture" in Malaysia.

At 12.30 pm, participants were invited to have lunch at the cafeteria. Lunch was provided to all participants courtesy of the HVACR Department.

At 2.00 pm, the presentation continues with the history of NIOSH. NIOSH was established on 24 June 1992 as a Company Limited by Guarantee, under the Malaysian Companies Act, 1965. As a company, NIOSH is expected to operate efficiently and with minimal administrative bureaucracy. The NIOSH Board of Directors comprises of 15 Board members, ten of which are appointed by the Government while the remaining are elected by NIOSH members during the Annual General Meeting (AGM). This makes NIOSH different from similar institutions in other countries. NIOSH was set up with a RM1 million Launching Grant from the Government and a further RM50 million Endowment Fund (RM40 million from the Social Security Organization (SOCSO) of Malaysia and a further RM 10 million from the Malaysian Government), which will be invested, and the return of investment will be used to partly finance the operation of NIOSH.

Another short break was given to participants at 3.30 pm.

At 4.00 pm, Mr Rahlan continued his presentation with a video presentation called the ‘Construction Kung Fu’, which shows the ‘Dos and Don’ts at a construction site. It was interesting to see how negligence of safety can cause horrible accidents and injuries, which eventually leads to death at construction site.

A short Q & A session were held for participants to ask anything related to CIDB. The program ends at 5.00 pm.

Overall, the event ended successfully. This is the first time ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch handled such program in UniKL MFI.

3rd Inter-ACIR Futsal Tournament 2009

Wednesday, 12th of August 2009 - the 3rd Inter-ACIR Futsal Tournament was planned for all ACIR students. Organized annually by the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, the tournament was held at Sports Planet Kajang, Selangor. A total of 8 teams comprising of ACIR students, lecturers and staffs participated in the tournament. Team is represented by 8 players, which consist of 5 starting players and 3 reserves each. Each team was required to pay a sum of RM88 for entry fee. Teams taking part in the tournament were FC RSVP (semester 3.2), T (semester 4), Kira OK (semester 3.1 and 5.1), Adikku Pandai Mengaji (semester 5.1 and 6), Paddle Pop (semester 5.1, 6 and ex-ACIR students), Mond-Dock FC (semester 5.2), TeamBang FC (semester 7) and Staff (lectures and staffs).

The purposes of the tournament were to bridge the gap between seniors and juniors of ACIR in order to promote unity and co-operation among all ACIR students, through sports. This is also a good way to nurture mutual respect between ACIR students, lecturers and staffs and to promote a healthy lifestyle among ACIR students.

The event was scheduled at 8.30 pm. Before the starting of the matches, each team were briefed on the rules and regulations of the tournament by Mohd Shamsir Mohd Shif from the organizing committee, led by Program Coordinator, Kisogana Rathanasamy. Each team were sponsored with a 3 litre bottled mineral water and given receipts as proof of payment for the entry fee charged on each teams.

Teams were divided into 2 groups, A and B. Group A consist of Kira OK, Paddle Pop, Adikku Pandai Mengaji and T. Group B consists of FC RSVP, TeamBang FC, Mond-Dock FC and Staff. Each group and semi-final matches were given 10 minutes (5 minutes for each half), while for the 3rd and 4th placement and final matches were given 14 minutes (7 minutes for each half).

During the semi-final matches, due to fatigue and injuries, Staff decided to forfeit the game, which gave an automatic win to Paddle Pop. In another semi-final match, Kira OK beat TeamBang FC 5-1 to advance to final. The final match was between Paddle Pop and Kira OK for the cup, which saw Kira OK march to victory with a 6-2 win.

At the end of the tournament, prize giving ceremony was conducted and hampers were given to all participated teams. The final results of the tournaments were Kira OK (Gold), Paddle Pop (Silver) and Teambang FC (Bronze).

As the winner of the tournament, Kira OK brought home hampers, medals and the Inter-ACIR Futsal Tournament Cup. The event ended at 12.15 am.

Overall, the event ended successfully despite minor technical problems. This is the 3rd year ASHRAE- UniKL MFI Student Branch handled such event.

ACIR Gathering Dinner 2009

Saturday, 1st of August 2009 - A gathering dinner was planned for all graduated ACIR students. Organized by the ACIR Alumni (ACIRA) with the co-operation of ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, the dinner was held at Danau Golf Club, located inside Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi. A number of 41 ex-ACIR students from different batches, including lecturers and staffs were present at the dinner.

The purposes of the dinner were to bring together all the graduated ACIR students into an event and promote networking between ex-ACIR students with fellow lectures, staffs and ACIR students of the HVACR department. This is the moment for them to do a ‘catching up’ with fellow lectures, staffs and their juniors.

Upon arrival, all guests were greeted and accompanied to the registration counter to register their names into the guest list. Each guest was given a number for the Lucky Draw contest later that night. Then, each of them was accompanied into the dining room where they were seated according to the guest seating list.

At around 8.30 pm, the event started with a welcoming speech by Wan Mohd Fathurrahman Che Wan Azizan, the MC of the night, followed by a short speech from Mr Ng Wen Bin, the Section Head of HVACR Department to congratulate the organizing committee on the success of such event.

Next, a representative from the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, Mohd Azrul Hafis Azmir, gave a short briefing of the society and its plans throughout the semester. In order for the society to run its programs, it needs funding, and call to donate to the society’s cause follows afterwards. A donation box was provided by the organizing committee at the gift counter.

Soon after his speech, an award ceremony for the IFFI certificates recipients were held in honor of ACIR students who excelled in their IFFI exam papers during their studies. They are Ahmad Farid Mohd Shahbudin, Ahmad Nuruddin Zaini, Amad Al-Ibrahim Mohd Yusof, Mohd Takrimi Ismail, Nik Mohd Hakimin Nik Kamaruddin, Nor Firdaus Yunus and Siti Muzahidah Abdullah from the 4th ACIR batch. The awards were presented by their former mentor, Mr Aloysius De Cruz.

At 9.00 pm, dinner was served to all guests. This is the opportunity for all of them to catch up among themselves while enjoying their dinner, and for ACIR students who attended the dinner, to ask their senior’s opinions and advises before going into the industry.

At 10.00 pm, a Lucky Draw contest was conducted right after dinner. Mystery gifts were given to all guests who won the Lucky Draw contest.

Before concluding the night, a representative from the organizing committee, Zikriah Zakaria gave a speech to thank the entire guest for the success of the event. Gifts were presented to Mr Ng Wen Bin and Mr Aloysius De Cruz as tokens of appreciation. A photography session was held soon afterwards. The dinner ended at 10.30 pm.

Overall, the event ended successfully despite minor glitches. This is the first ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch co-operation with the ACIR Alumni since its official establishments in June 2008.

ACIR Student Meeting July 2009

Wednesday, 29th of July 2009 - A meeting was called for all ACIR students. The meeting was held at Showroom 1 around 8.30 pm. Organized by the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, it was attended by Mr Ng Wen Bin, the Section Head of HVACR Department, who is also the Student Activities Committee Chair for ASHRAE Malaysia Chapter session 2009/2010. A number of 55 students from different semesters were present at the annual meeting.

The purposes of the meeting were to ‘break the ice’ between seniors and juniors of ACIR in order to bring them closer together, and to inform all ACIR students about the society’s forthcoming events for the semester.

The meeting started with a welcoming speech by the President of ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch, Mohd Azrul Hafis Azmir, who later gave an introduction on the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch as part of the ASHRAE Membership Drive program. Students were briefed on the society’s profile and list of events planned throughout the semester. Mr Ng, who is also the Student Branch Advisor for UniKL MFI gave an elaborate presentation on the ASHRAE student membership program.

Next, the president informed the students on a gathering dinner planned by seniors of ACIR who had graduated, under the ACIR Alumni (ACIRA) program, which will be held on Saturday, 1st of August 2009 at 7.30 pm onwards at Danau Golf Club, Bangi. All students were encouraged to join.

The meeting continued with a briefing on the CIDB green card registration by Mohd Haniff Abdullah, who explained the benefits of the green card holders through his own working experience. The safety course is planned on Sunday, 16th of August 2009 at 8.00 am at Showroom 2, UniKL MFI.

At around 9.30 pm, the Program Coordinator, Kisogana Rathanasamy with the help of a fellow volunteer, Mohd Shamsir Mohd Shif from semester 7, briefed the students on the annual Inter-ACIR Futsal Tournament. All the rules and regulations were explained during the briefing session. The event is planned to be held on Wednesday, at Sports Planet Kajang on 12th of August 2009 at 8.30 pm onwards.

The society also planned on an industrial visit to Solar District Cooling, Puchong. The date will be confirmed later. All ACIR students were invited to join especially the semester 1 ACIR students.

7 copies of handouts containing the ACIR Gathering Dinner 2009 flyer, the 3rd Inter-ACIR Futsal Tournament team registration form, the UPP 1 form for the CIDB green card registration and the ASHRAE student membership form were distributed to each semester’s class representatives.

At 10 pm, a short Q & A session was held, followed by a ‘breaking the ice’ session. In this session, each students have to introduce themselves in front of fellow ACIR students.
Before the meeting ended, Mr Ng gave his closing speech followed by the president. The meeting ended at around 10.30 pm.

Overall, the meeting was successful, with large turnout among ACIR student this semester. This is the second annual student meeting successfully conducted by the ASHRAE-UniKL MFI Student Branch since its official establishments in June 2008.

Petroliam Nasional Berhad – The New Seven Sisters

Thursday, June 18th, 2009 – A group of ACIR students from the Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigerating (HVACR) Department and UniKL MFI were given the opportunity to visit the Petronas Twin Towers, which is located at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Accompanied by Mr Baktiar Hasnan from the Career and Counseling Unit, Student Affairs Department, the visit was done in order to present students the opportunity to make in‐depth assessment of the company visited, namely Petronas, to gain information whether or not they are the right organization for them and to meet key peoples and assess the entry‐level position, culture, environment, long‐range opportunities and the overall community atmosphere. Also present were members of the ASHRAE–UniKL MFI Student Branch. The visit is another collaboration between ASHRAE–UniKL MFI Student Branch with the Student Affairs Department under the Short Semester Program.

Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) is a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company, founded on August 17th, 1974. Wholly owned by the Malaysian government, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and adding value to these resources. Petronas is ranked among Fortune Global 500's largest corporations in the world. In 2008, Fortune ranks Petronas as the 95th largest company in the world. It also ranks Petronas as the 8th most profitable company in the world and the most profitable in Asia.

Since its incorporation, Petronas has grown to be an integrated international oil and gas company with business interests in 31 countries. As of the end of March 2005, the Petronas Group comprised 103 wholly owned subsidiaries, 19 partly-owned outfits and 57 associated companies, which is involved in various oil and gas based activities. The Financial Times has identified Petronas as one of the "new seven sisters": the most influential and mainly state-owned national oil and gas companies from countries outside the OECD.

The group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining, marketing and distribution of petroleum products, trading, gas processing and liquefaction, gas transmission pipeline network operations, marketing of liquefied natural gas, petrochemical manufacturing and marketing, shipping, automotive engineering and property investment.

The Petronas Twin Towers were officially opened on Malaysia's 42nd National Day, August 31st 1998 in the corporation's 24th anniversary year.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Mr Nabil Ramli at the ground lobby. We had to go through tight security before going up to the 20th floor to attend a presentation on Petronas. The presentation was given by Puan Zuraidah Zainal Abidin from the Human Resources Department. It was ended with a short Q & A session before taking a break.

After quick refreshments, Puan Zuraidah continued her presentation with a presentation on careers with Petronas. A short Q & A session follows afterwards. A handout was given to students which contain the information for students who are interested to pursue their careers with the Petronas group.

Next, we were invited for a tour on the Petronas Twin Tower Skybridge, headed by Mr Saiful Bahari Din from the Petronas Twin Towers Visit Operations. The skybridge is on the 41st and 42nd floors, located In-between the two towers, which is also the highest 2-story bridge in the world. From here, we can see the KLCC park and nearby buildings such as the Ambank tower and the Traders Hotel. It was a very wonderful sight of Kuala Lumpur with clear sky all day long.

Overall, it was an excellent exposure for students especially those interested to pursue their careers with the Petronas group and an interesting journey for those who have never been on the skybridge, seeing the city of Kuala Lumpur, from 170 metres off the ground. For more information on the Petronas group, visit http://www.petronas.com.my.

Schlumberger – Giant in the Oilfield Services

Thursday, June 11th, 2009 – A group of ACIR students from the Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigerating (HVACR) Department and UniKL MFI were given the opportunity to visit Schlumberger WTA (M) Sdn Bhd, which is located at Wisma Rohas Perkasa at Jalan P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. Accompanied by representative from the Student Affairs Department, the purpose of the visit is to allow the students an opportunity to make a more in‐depth assessment of the company visited, to gain more information in deciding whether or not they are the right organization for them and to meet peoples and feel about the entry‐level position, culture, environment, long‐range opportunities and the overall community atmosphere. Also present were members of the ASHRAE–UniKL MFI Student Branch. The visit is collaboration between ASHRAE–UniKL MFI Student Branch with the Student Affairs Department under the Short Semester Program.

Founded in 1926, Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services corporation operating in approximately 80 countries, with about 87,000 employees (March 2009). Incorporated in the Netherlands Antilles with principal offices in Houston, Paris and The Hague, Schlumberger supplies products and services such as seismic acquisition and processing, formation evaluation, well testing and directional drilling, well cementing and stimulation, artificial lift, well completions and consulting, and software and information management. Schlumberger also provides similar products and services for the groundwater industry. Operating revenue for the company in 2008 was US$27.16 billion with a market capitalization as of 5 May 2009, of US$63.77 billion.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Miss Lee Chin Na for a short safety briefing, followed by a detailed presentation on Schlumberger Limited and the career opportunities it offers, which was presented by Mr Wan Yu. The presentation was ended with a short Q & A session before taking a break.

After quick refreshments, we were divided into 4 groups, and each group were headed by representatives from Schlumberger, before taken for a tour around the building. The tour includes a visit to the MEA Client Support Lab and the Geomechanics Lab. There, students were briefed on the functions of each lab by other representatives, each specialized in their own field of work.

Overall, it was an excellent exposure for students especially those interested to venture in the oil and gas industry. By attending this visit, students were able to differentiate between an oil and gas company, with an oilfield services corporation such as Schlumberger, and the careers it offers. At the end of the tour, we received a souvenir courtesy of Schlumberger before heading home to UniKL MFI. For more information on Schlumberger Limited, visit http://www.slb.com/