Occupational hazards - Dec/Jan 19

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY and health as a practice is constantly evolving, with factors such as technology, the gig economy and flexible working influencing the spectrum of risk and the way businesses are run. 

As the Chartered body for our profession, one of our roles is to set the standards for occupational safety and health and help OSH professionals build capability, so they are equipped to manage the risks evolving in the workplace today. We continuously draw insights from employers, members and other stakeholders and we’re becoming increasingly engaged in wider debates around organisational performance, governance and innovation, which can present complex challenges for occupational safety and health. 

A future-fit competency framework

As part of IOSH’s commitment to enhance the profession, we began researching and distilling intelligence about the changing world of work. Our findings laid the foundations of an updated competency framework for the profession, to replace the one released in 2016 with the first generation of Blueprint 1.0, our self-assessment tool for evaluating competence. 

We interviewed and ran focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders, from IOSH members to employers and academics. We analysed job specifications and benchmarked our previous framework against a wide range of national and international standards and practices. We were also fortunate to be able to draw on over 250,000 data sets from more than 10,000 users of Blueprint 1.0.

The result is a fully updated competency framework – Professional standards for safety and health at work – which reflects insights from this substantial body of research. 

Arguably the most comprehensive competency framework available for the occupational safety and health sector, it sets out the skills, knowledge and behaviours required by today’s OSH professionals across three categories of competency, namely behavioural, core and technical. 

What does this mean for you?

IOSH’s new competency framework has already been described as “a game changer” for the profession. It will help to enhance technical competence while guiding the development of the soft and business skills needed, to influence and drive positive change in organisations at all levels.

Every individual’s development needs will vary, of course, depending on their role, level, aspirations and sector, and emphasis on specific core or behavioural competencies may differ from one company to the next, due to size, structure or culture. But if you’re an OSH professional, the competency framework can help you take responsibility for your own learning and development. 

You can use the framework alongside a wide range of content and courses, from white papers and books to continuing professional development (CPD). 

New tools and resources in the pipeline

IOSH Blueprint 2.0 and a host of new and updated tools and resources coming in 2020, will enable a personal and objective assessment of each IOSH member’s competencies. This will be fully linked to a development plan and a plethora of other materials to support you in your career, including a new CPD scheme which will be aligned with the competency framework. 

In the meantime, IOSH members can access other free resources and search our current CPD courses, mapped by competency, via our website.

Benefits for businesses and recruiters

If you’re a line manager or employer, IOSH’s competency framework can improve your organisation’s performance by guiding professional development and recruitment processes. 

Technical and core competencies focus on what employees need to be able to do, while the behavioural competencies give clear guidance on how an employee should fulfil their role.

This competency framework can help streamline operations, informing job descriptions, selection processes and learning and development plans. It can also support performance management and help to embed positive behavioural values, to complement and amplify an individual’s technical expertise.

Enhancing the future of safety and health at work

In line with IOSH’s WORK 2022 strategy, we are committed to enhancing the profession. The new competency framework is an essential building block and we look forward to launching our expanded suite of tools and resources to support OSH professionals next year. 

You can find out all about the competency framework on our website here –www.iosh.com/competencyframework

Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher is director of professional services at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. For more information, visit www.iosh.com