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Health and Safety Practices
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National Occupational Standards (NOS') for H&S skills There are national standards for the necessary skills to promote health and safety practices. The Employment National Training Organisation have produced the "Stand Alone" National Occupational Standards (NOSs) for Health and Safety (pdf) outlining necessary skills to demonstrate competence in carrying out a range of H&S activities, including risk assessment.The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 state that an employer: "shall appoint competent persons to assist him (sic) in undertaking the measures he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under the relevant statutory provisions". (7,1) How do you demonstrate that you are competent in hazards risk assessment.? The law is vague: "a person shall be regarded as competent where he has sufficient training and experience or knowledge or other qualities to enable him to properly assist in undertaking the measures." (7,5) These National Occupational Standards now spell out what you need to do to demonstrate competence in a range of health and safety skills. These national satandards are verified through the UK Learning and Skills framework. Unit G of these NOS' spells out the requirements to "Conduct an Assessment of Risk". It spells out what you have to do to be competent to carry out a risk assessment. And if you get your actions checked, assessed and verified - you can have a National Certificate to prove it! |
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