Accreditation of health and safety consultants examined
30 July 2009
The CIEH is conducting a feasibility study into the establishment of an official register of health and safety consultants, ensuring businesses and clients have access to competent and sensible advice.
The CIEH met with a host of partners at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to discuss what a future register may look like. The feasibility study, conducted by the CIEH and IOSH and funded by the HSE is due to be completed in the autumn.
CIEH Principal Policy Officer Andrew Griffiths said: “The CIEH is researching existing accreditation models and assessing their suitability. IOSH is doing market research into the business sector to determine its appetite for an accreditation scheme and the health and safety consultancy community. The HSE is also undertaking research into issues around how organisations access competent advice.
“We would like to see a register established that guarantees that businesses get advice from competent consultants that is accurate and proportionate. Once we have completed this study, it will be up to the HSE to decide if and when to launch the register.”
The issue of official accreditation has been around for some time, however the HSE is adamant that it will not run a scheme, nor control or regulate the professional bodies that do establish it.
The CIEH is advocating accreditation to improve the current system where anyone can act as a health and safety consultant. The CIEH envisages a voluntary system which sets a minimum standard of competence required to operate as a health and safety consultant.
The meeting was held at the HSE and attended by the CIEH, IOSH, ROSPA, the British Safety Council, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) and the British Safety Industry Foundation (BSIF).
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