Government urges all health and safety practitioners to gain chartered status

The Government says it is ìfully supportiveî of the introduction of a chartered qualification for professional health and safety advisors and pledges to recommend all advisors, where appropriate, to work towards achieving it.

In response to a Parliamentary Question, Anne McGuire, Minister for Disability in the Department for Work and Pensions gave her unequivocal support to the UKís 6,000 recently chartered practitioners. Last year, 220 people died and 30,666 suffered major injury through work activity. Over 2.2 million people experienced ill health attributable to work, and more than 39 million days off work were caused by injuries and illness.

The Governmentís support comes after the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health awarded Chartered Status to its members, having been awarded corporate Chartered Status earlier last year. To receive the new designation, practitioners will have to achieve a degree level qualification and undertake Initial Professional Development (IPD) for two years, including an open book assessment and professional peer interview. Once Chartered, mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for the remainder of their careers will ensure that their skills and knowledge are fresh and kept up-to-date.

IOSH President, Lawrence Waterman, said: ìYou wouldnít employ someone who wasnít Corgi-registered to deal with a faulty boiler, and you wouldnít want an accountant dealing with your finances who wasnít chartered. The same rule should apply to health and safety.

ìWeíre raising our game so that business and industry can reap the benefits. The days when a health and safety practitioner could go around a workplace with just a checklist and pen have long gone. Chartered safety and health practitioners will be a different breed, providing practical solutions to everyday problems in the workplace and communicating in the language of business.î