Safety qualifications Set new standards
April 1st 2004

It is fair to say we are in a period of change that is affecting professional qualifications at this time. In 2002 a review of the standards that describe the performance criteria for the role of the health and safety practitioner was completed by the Employment National Training Organisation (ENTO), a government body that sets standards for employment issues such as this. Organisations such as the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), have contributed to the setting of these new standards. The two levels of standards that we have become used to, level 3 (leading to IOSH TechSP) and level 4 (leading to MIOSH), have been replaced with a new single level 4. The revised standards are designed to better reflect the role of the modern health and safety practitioner and include:

Unit 1. Evaluate and develop own practice 2. Promote a positive health and safety culture 3. Develop and implement the health and safety policy 4. Develop and implement effective communication systems for health and safety information 5. Develop and maintain individual and organisational competence in health and safety matters 6. Identify and evaluate health and safety hazards 7. Assess health and safety risks 8. Determine and implement health and safety risk control measures 9. Develop and implement active monitoring systems for health and safety 10. Develop and implement reactive monitoring systems for health and safety 11. Develop and implement health and safety emergency response systems and procedures 12. Develop and implement health and safety review systems 13. Develop and implement health and safety audit systems.

Now that the new standards are in place the organisations that use the standards are adjusting their stance to embrace them. IOSH is reviewing its membership criteria to reflect the standards and those that develop health and safety practitioners and provide qualifications are similarly re-aligning what they do. There are a number of routes to an appropriate qualification, which could lead to membership of IOSH, but the concept is that they should all reflect these national standards.

Following the introduction of the new standards a significant change was made to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) for health and safety practitioners. City and Guilds, who are an awarding body, stopped entry to their old award under the old standards at the end of December 2002 and started the year with the launch of the new ones. NVQs are a route by which you can demonstrate your ability to meet the laid down performance criteria in the national standards by showing evidence of the application of your knowledge to real work situations. This route is growing in popularity, people like the fact that the assessments are not in the form of written examinations, and knowledge is assessed in context with the evidence of work done to meet the standards, presented in a portfolio. A little like open learning courses NVQs suit best people that are well organised, in particular those that cannot easily attend taught courses.

Similar to City and Guilds, in 2002 the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) began reviewing and revising their routes to professional qualification to better reflect the single level approach now advocated by the ENTO. These reforms have taken time to make, particularly as they involve significant consultation processes in order to map against the criteria, decide any changes necessary, work these up into a proposed new syllabus for the Diploma and devise transitional arrangements for current Diploma students. NEBOSHs proposal was to have the new Diploma available in the second half of 2004, this work is well on its way. Naturally this will mean changes for course providers and students alike.

Many people start a path to professional qualification by obtaining a NEBOSH National General Certificate in Health and Safety. Though this is not seen as a professional qualification in itself it serves as a good basis for someone getting involved in health and safety for the first time. It is quite usual for many that obtain the General Certificate to progress on to the Diploma. They make good students for this course as the General Certificate provides an excellent foundation of prior learning on which to build. For those in the construction industry a variant of the NEBOSH General Certificate, the National Certificate in Construction Safety and Health, has been devised.

NEBOSH courses are available in a number of forms including evening college options, block taught courses through private providers, open/distance learning courses in book or computer format. Students today are often under a lot of pressure to limit their time away from work, even when conducting studies for something as important as a NEBOSH qualification. This is reflected in the way courses are run today in that many emphasise the modular nature of learning and utilise gains made in computer technology.

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