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IOSH response to "common sense, common safety" report

IOSH issued a response yesterday to Lord Young's report into Health & Safety, broadly welcoming it as a "...long overdue attempt to restore the reputation..." of the Health & Safety profession, but has published some suggestions of areas that it feels should be looked at. In the IOSH news bulletin, Rob Strange, the Chief Exec. of IOSH stated:

"We welcome the coalition government’s review, and its scrutiny of what David Cameron describes as the ‘damaging compensation culture’ that has over-shadowed genuine health and safety issues over the last few years. For that alone it marks a turning point.

“But we urge the government not to opt for overly simplistic solutions that compromise standards and leave hard-working people vulnerable. Weaken health and safety, and you risk weakening both public health and the national economy.”

 The full response document is entitled "Getting the balance right" and is available here.

Health & Safety Consultants accreditation scheme progresses

"More details on how the new accreditation scheme for practitioners is going to operate were revealed today during an online SHP debate.

Five health and safety experts gave their views, and answered listeners’ questions, on OSCR – the Occupational Safety Consultants Register, which is due to go live in the New Year. The proposed scheme has caused some concern among practitioners, who fear it will freeze out extremely experienced albeit not sufficiently highly qualified health and safety consultants.

Director of professional affairs at IOSH, Hazel Harvey, emphasised that nobody will be stopped from working as a result of not being on the register. She explained: “This is a voluntary register for consultants who meet the eligibility criteria – not being on it will not stop you from getting work.”

To be eligible to sign up, candidates must be chartered members of IOSH, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and/or the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland; or fellows of the IIRSM. Hazel revealed today that fellows of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (IEHF – formerly the Ergonomics Society) will most likely be able to join too – although this is still to be approved by the stakeholder group, at its next meeting scheduled for later this month.

Initially, the register was going to be open to safety consultants only but it is now likely – pending the outcome of the aforementioned meeting – that occupational-health specialists will be eligible. Those who are not affiliated to the institutions involved may also be considered in the future, as Hazel Harvey explained: “IOSH is currently lobbying the HSE to use a standards-based approach so that non-members can join.

“We do firmly believe in standards but we wouldn’t expect the standards applied to be any less than those for chartered membership. Assessment against set standards could be the way forward but this wouldn’t be easier than becoming a chartered member. There won’t be any easy route to accreditation.”

On the issue of needing to be chartered members, Hazel said: “We know a number of our members who aren’t chartered are concerned, but I would say that they really need to take advice about their future progression. Even though they may have years of experience, this hasn’t been assessed in a formal way.”

Hazel revealed that the scheme will go live “in principle” on 31 January 2011, when consultants who are eligible to join can sign up. The register will be available for public search four weeks later.

The cost of joining the scheme has been another area of concern, and Hazel confirmed that the registration fee will be just £30 during the first four weeks of operation, and £60 thereafter."

To read the full article on SHP Online, click here