Competent person - what is one, and do I need one?

Here at New Level Recruitment we often get asked exactly what a “competent person” is, in terms of Health & Safety regulation. Although the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1989 state that employers have a specific duty to appoint a competent person (or persons) to assist them in meeting their Health & Safety obligations, it doesn’t spell out exactly what defines a competent person, so many people are unclear.

The reason (presumably) that the act is vague on the actual definition is because the level of training, qualifications or experience required depends very much on the type of business involved and the level of risk it carries. An office block, for example, will require less from their competent person than a heavy manufacturing facility with all the associated H&S risks that involves.

It is very important as an employer that you obtain qualified professional advice as to the level of qualifications and experience your designated competent person needs or you may find yourself in the same position as a leading supermarket did recently, when it was fined £475,000 for an incident in which a fork lift truck driver was killed. Although there was a designated competent person on site, the court deemed her level of qualifications and experience too low for the level of risk involved on that site, and therefore the company was liable.

Comments

[David hogard]

The most and basics of health and safety at work start with having proper First Aid. Every big or small organization must have proper first aid kits and systems. While at work, people can suffer an injury or fall ill. It is very important for the company / firm to have proper arrangements so that the employees can receive immediate medical attention.

http://claimss.putblog.net/the-basic-ideas-on-health-and-safety-at-work/

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This is true, there must have different kinds of level on healthcare offers on different types of job. The higher the risk the better healthcare service must be provided.