Competence

What are you doing?
Competence - what to look for
Additional factors to consider

Competence is the ability to undertake responsibilities and perform activities to a recognised standard on a regular basis. It combines practical and thinking skills, knowledge and experience.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) require an employer to appoint one or more competent people to help them implement the measures they need to take to comply with the legal requirements. That could be a member of the workforce, the owner/manager, or an external consultant. The competent person should focus on the significant risks and those with serious consequences.

The competence of individuals is vital, whether they are employers, managers, supervisors, employees and contractors, especially those with safety-critical roles (such as plant maintenance engineers). It ensures they recognise the risks in their activities and can apply the right measures to control and manage those risks.

'Truly effective health and safety management requires competency across every facet of an organisation and through every level of the workforce.' The health and safety of Great Britain: Be part of the solution

What are you doing?

Health and safety responsibilities of managers/supervisors

How are they made aware of them?
What training have they been given to fulfil roles and responsibilities?
How are they held accountable?
Do they recognise continuing development needs, eg in annual appraisals?

Who fulfils the role of health and safety competent person?

What are their background, training and qualifications?
What is their awareness of current health and safety law relating to key risks?
Are they allowed enough time to dedicate to health and safety?

External provider of competent advice

How were they selected?
What is their competence to provide advice to this particular organisation?
Do they allocate adequate resources and tailor advice to this particular organisation?
Check that the documentation provided, eg visit reports, is suitable, covers the key hazards, assesses the right risks and gives the right advice.

Does the organisation act upon advice from the competent person?

If there is an identified lack of competence in a particular area, what are you doing to deal with the problem?

How are staff selected for the tasks carried out?

Are arrangements in place to ensure staff are aware of roles and responsibilities?

Have you identified the training they need?

Ensure relevant and sufficient training is delivered. Look for use of training schedules, operating manuals, sampling delivery of training, training for trainers etc.
Check the necessary level of competence has been reached.
Check that training is applied.
Provide update/refresher training.
Ensure training records are kept.

Have you provided enough competent cover for absences?

Competence - what to look for

Use the following examples of effective and ineffective health and safety management to check if you are doing what you need to do on competence.

What it looks like when done effectively	What it looks like when done badly or not at all
All know the risks created by the business and understand how to manage them. Key responsible people/job holders are identified and there are clearly established roles and responsibilities. People have the necessary training, skills, knowledge and experience to fulfil their responsibilities and are given enough time to do so. Training takes place during normal working hours and employees are not charged. Beyond compliance Lessons learned and good practice are shared internally and externally.	Lack of awareness of key hazards/risks. People lack the skills, knowledge and experience to do their job. Health and safety advice and training is irrelevant, incompetent or wrong. No standards set; people not held accountable. Insufficient action is taken to comply with the law. Knee-jerk reactions follow incidents/near misses. The organisation does not know what it needs to do to move forward.

What it looks like when done effectively

What it looks like when done badly or not at all

All know the risks created by the business and understand how to manage them.
Key responsible people/job holders are identified and there are clearly established roles and responsibilities.
People have the necessary training, skills, knowledge and experience to fulfil their responsibilities and are given enough time to do so.
Training takes place during normal working hours and employees are not charged.

Beyond compliance

Lessons learned and good practice are shared internally and externally.

Lack of awareness of key hazards/risks.
People lack the skills, knowledge and experience to do their job.
Health and safety advice and training is irrelevant, incompetent or wrong.
No standards set; people not held accountable.
Insufficient action is taken to comply with the law.
Knee-jerk reactions follow incidents/near misses.
The organisation does not know what it needs to do to move forward.

Additional factors to consider

Smaller businesses

In small businesses the responsibility of providing competent advice often rests with the owner/manager.
An HSE leaflet Getting specialist help with health and safety will help you ask the right questions if you are looking for competent health and safety advice.

Larger organisations

Who has the board lead on health and safety?
What is their competence in, and awareness of, health and safety issues?
Do they play an active part and how do they support the health and safety competent person?
HSE competence-related guidance for a specific industry, task or working environment

Process industries

At least one board member should be technically competent in process safety management. The competence of plant maintenance engineers is also crucial.
You can find more information in the joint HSE/Process Safety Leadership Group guidance on the Principles of Process Safety Leadership.