Are they qualified?

The BSIF explains why looking for a qualification is not always enough

There has been much debate and deliberation recently on
the awaited government review into health and safety
being carried out by Lord Young. This process in itself
has led to a call for proper accreditation of safety consultants
through a nationally recognised scheme. However, some have
questioned the need for this when there are already a plethora
of health and safety qualifications available.

The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) supports this call
for proper accreditation and is keen to ensure that employers
understand the difference between a qualification and
accreditation. A qualification is awarded to recognise a level of
knowledge, however can also be given simply based on course
attendance. In the health and safety market there is a high
standard of training and qualification providers, however
delegates will still only be tested to prove they have a knowledge
and understanding of the subject e.g. theory based only and the
qualification itself does not prove they can action what they have
learnt in a workplace environment. Accreditation on the other
hand tests and proves an appropriate level of knowledge and
competence.

This difference is crucial to employers who rely on hiring a
professional to carry out services for which they may not be able
to employ a dedicated person. This is especially prevalent within
the SME sector. In this situation it is important employers have
some of sort of yard stick to evaluate that they will be given
trustworthy advice and have confidence in the person they are
employing. However there have been cases of people being badly
serviced by so called health and safety specialists.

Therefore the question is how do these employers choose a
suitable candidate to help them comply with their health and
safety responsibilities? Initially, as in most areas, most employers
would start by looking for a suitable qualification. But in the area
of health and safety is this enough to judge the person and their
ability to carry out the service offered in a competent manner?
As outlined, the possession of a qualification may prove
knowledge but does not necessarily prove the ability to carry out
the service required. A qualification alone would not give a true
measure of ability or an accurate understanding of past
responsibilities.

Therefore it is essential when employing the service of a
professional that as well as asking for an appropriate
qualification, employers should also look for evidence that the
service provider can carry out the task they are employed to do.

It is vital that employers are using appropriate people who can
carry out the required service and apply any relevant
qualification to the task in hand. This is where a proper
accreditation scheme is essential so that employers are able to
easily find an appropriately qualified and competent provider
who they could trust to deliver the service required.

The BSIF has experienced this dilemma first hand in relation
to fit testers of respiratory protective equipment (RPE).

Originally fit testers had not been accredited, making the
selection of a competent person a matter of luck. It was hard to
judge the level of knowledge, skill, experience and understanding
of fit testing or know whether these may have deteriorated over
time. Either way if the fitter is not competent and poor advice is
given, the wearer could have ill fitting equipment putting them
at potential risk of respiratory health problems.

To tackle this issue, the BSIF developed a competency scheme
in collaboration with the HSE and other industry stakeholders –
the BSIF Fit2Fit Fit Test Providers Accreditation Scheme.

Designed to confirm the competency of any person
performing facepiece fit testing, delegates initially have to pass an
industry recognised exam which demonstrates that they have a
thorough knowledge of the HSE guidance on fit testing. Then
they will need to pass a practical demonstration of their ability to
carry out fit testing to become accredited.

Qualification versus accreditation
David Lummis, CEO, BSIF comments: “Many people do not
realise the difference between a qualification and accreditation.

In the case of Fit2Fit, by creating a nationally recognised
accreditation scheme with ‘professional’ standing, employers can
select appropriate, accredited Fit2Fit personnel to fit test their
employees with respiratory protection. This will mitigate their
liability in the event of an incident and HSE inspectors and RPE
users can be provided with evidence of competence. Ultimately,
of course, it will play a part in reducing respiratory disease in the
workplace.”
Over the years a formal programme of accreditation for health
and safety consultants has been discussed and is now even more
in the spotlight in advance of Lord Young’s report. The BSIF is
strongly of the view that such an accreditation should be put in
place. This will ensure businesses that rely on outside services
and are looking for help receive relevant, sound advice on health
and safety, ultimately helping them to ensure the safety of their
workforce.