Accrediation of safety consultants – beware!

[STUMPY]

I note that some colleagues are independent consultants.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The Health and Safety Executive is promoting (in conjunction with IOSH) a ‘voluntary’ accreditation scheme for safety consultants

There is nothing wrong with having a credible accreditation scheme.

But with this ‘voluntary’ scheme, chartered membership of IOSH or Fellowship of IIRSM is a pre-condition. Check out the Safety Practitioner web site

The suits will immediately set this standard of accreditation as being ‘the one’ This will immediately exclude good, professional, competent and dedicated individuals from practicing and providing a genuine service to those who opt to commission their services.

To those of you who are or will be affected by this restriction, make your concerns known to your MP

 

[dangeruss]

sounds like the old NASC pavement licence dodge all over again . Are the NASC now running IOSH as well now ?

 

[phil181]

sounds like the old NASC pavement licence dodge all over again . Are the NASC now running IOSH as well now ?

IOSH covers a multitude of professions mate. There is also no mention of the NASC in the original post.

 

[dangeruss]

IOSH covers a multitude of professions mate. There is also no mention of the NASC in the original post.

You missunderstand Phil, I am drawing a comparison with the NASC wanting to standardise pavement licences, but part of their form asks for your membership number ,thus excluding you if your not a memberof the NASC to erect scaffold on the pavement.

This sounds like the same kind of deal , a voluntary scheme but with pre conditions that could exclude otherwise decent people/firms

 

[Rigger]

New Voluntary Accreditation Scheme for Safety Consultants

A new UK scheme to accredit safety consultants will be announced in the coming weeks. A feasibility study on such a scheme was commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive and involved a group of organisations drawn from the health and safety industry including IIRSM. The ongoing review of Health and Safety by Lord Young has given added impetus to this work.

The proposed scheme has been developed by a group of bodies in the Health and Safety profession, chaired by Geoffrey Podger, Chief Executive of the HSE. It will be a voluntary scheme that aims to help raise the standard of safety advice being given by consultants to employers. It will also make it easier for those employers who do need to use external safety advice to find consultants in whom they can have confidence. A joint announcement about the scheme will be made in late summer when details have been decided. The starting point for the scheme is the accreditation of safety consultants.

At this stage the scheme will be for consultants dealing solely with traditional safety issues. It does not presently address occupational hygiene issues such as chemical hazards

The accreditation scheme for safety consultants will be voluntary and a fee will be charged to cover administration. There will be a publicly available register accessible on-line. The group of organisations involved in discussions about the scheme includes

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) www.cieh.org
International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM)www.iirsm.org
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) www.iosh.co.uk
Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland www.rehis.org
British Safety Council (BSC) www.britsafe.org
British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) www.bsif.co.uk
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) www.hse.gov.uk
National Exam Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) www.nebosh.org.uk
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) www.rospa.com
British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) www.bohs.org
Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (IEHF) www.ergonomics.org.uk

Initially, entrance to the register will be restricted to Fellows of IIRSM, and chartered members of IOSH and CIEH.

Keith Scott, Chairman of IIRSM stated:

“It is vital that employers can not only get access to reliable and proportionate advice on health and safety, but also that they can have confidence in those advising them.

The accreditation scheme will help do this as well as dealing with the perception that some consultants are giving inappropriate advice. It is key part of wider efforts to restore the rightful reputation of health and safety."