Role and Responsibilities of the Health and Safety Practitioner (HSP)

Influence on Health and Safety Management Systems

 Appointed by employers to help them in managing health and safety in the organisation
 They should have the status and competence to advise management and employees
with authority and independence

They are well placed to advice on many aspects of the safety management system, such as:

 Formulating, developing and effective implementation of health and safety policies

 Promotion of positive health and safety culture within the organization
 Planning and setting of realistic short- and long-term objectives and deciding priorities
 Day-to-day implementation and monitoring of policy and plans including accident and
incident investigation, reporting and analysis
 Review of performance and audit of the whole health and safety management system

To do this properly, health and safety practitioners need to

 Well trained and suitably qualified

 Maintain good knowledge on laws (national and international), H&S management,
technical standards
 Should able to give technical advices
 Be involved in establishing organizational arrangements, systems and risk control
standards.
 Establish and maintain procedures for reporting, investigating, recording and analyzing
accidents and incidents
 Establish and maintain procedures, review and auditing
 Present their advice independently and effectively

In terms of organizational structure/relationships, health and safety specialists must

 Have a direct reporting line to directors on matters of policy, and the authority to stop
work if it seems to a risk to people
 Have responsibility for professional standards and systems
As far as relationships outside the company go, they must liaise with a wide range of bodies,
including:

• Local officials.

• Consultants/contractors.

• Fire service.

• Insurance companies.

• Enforcing authorities

Competence - A competent health and safety adviser can be considered as having sufficient
training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him to properly discharge
his professional responsibilities

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Required by most professional bodies and is undertaken when the practitioner is

considered competent and satisfies the requirements for full membership of the professional
body. It serves the following purposes:

• Demonstrating competence and credibility.

• Developing an individual’s career and helping with appraisal.

• Coping with change by updating skills.

• Thinking about competence and identifying gaps in knowledge and experience.

HSP responsibility to Evaluate and Develop Their Own Practice

The broad (IOSH, NEBOSH) requirements are that practitioners should:

 Set and priorities goals and targets for self-improvement

 Adapt their own practice in the light of changes in professional practice
 Reflect on their own practice
 Review their practice against appropriate goals

Consequently, in order to achieve this, practitioners need to:

• Develop their personal action plans and monitor their achievements.

• Develop and change their own practice, and evaluate the effectiveness of the developments
• Anticipate and identify change, and respond appropriately
• Review their own performance, which might involve undergoing appraisals
• Identify goals and targets which could be set in a number of ways
These requirements can be divided into two principal components: evaluation and
identification of self-development needs
Evaluating Own Practice
The practitioner should be able to:
• Evaluate their own practice against set targets and goals
•Use a range of valid and reliable evidence to assess their own work, which includes an
assessment of behavior and values by others.
• Involve others in the interpretation of evidence.
• Use evidence to reflect on their own practice and professional issues
• Accept criticism in a positive manner, and assess its validity and importance
• Revise goals and targets in the light of their reviewing evidence and performance

Identifying Self-Development Needs

The practitioner should be able to:
• Set and priorities clear and realistic goals and targets for their own development.
• Base goals and targets on the accurate assessment of all the relevant information relating to
their own work and achievements, including developments in professional practice and related
areas.
• Devise a personal action plan and review it regularly.
• Try out developments in their own practice in a way which does not cause problems for
others.
• Evaluate developments in their own practice and ensure continued self-development.

Upgrade your skills when you get involved in an area which is beyond your competence

Ethics and the Application of Ethical Principles

An action we might take is legal does not necessarily mean it is ethical. This is best explained by
identifying the ethical principles we would expect practitioners to adopt

The IOSH has a Code of Conduct which all members are expected to follow. This requires
members to:

• Owe a loyalty to the workforce

• Abide by relevant legal requirements.

• Give honest opinions.

• Maintain their competence.

• Undertake only those tasks they believe themselves to be competent to deal with.

• Accept professional responsibility for their work.

• Make those who ignore their professional advice aware of the consequences.

• Not bring the professional body into disrepute.

• Not recklessly or maliciously injure the professional reputation or business of others.

• Not behave in a way which may be considered inappropriate

 Not use their membership or position within the organisation or Institution improperly for
commercial or personal gain.
 Avoid conflicts of interest.
 Not disclose information improperly.
 Ensure information which they hold necessary to safeguard the health and safety of others
is made available on request.
 Comply with data protection principles and relevant legislation.
 Maintain financial propriety with clients and employers and where appropriate be covered
by professional indemnity insurance.
 Act within the law and notify the Institution if convicted of a criminal offence.

Similarly the IIRSM has a Code of Ethics which requires members to:

• Only advise on or undertake tasks where they are competent to do so.

• Ensure professional competence is maintained and developed.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Inform the appropriate authority of any illegal or unethical safety-related behavior.
• Conduct themselves with fairness when dealing with others and not engage in discrimination.
• Act as the faithful agent of their clients or employers and accept responsibility for their own
work.
• Assist colleagues in their professional development and support them in following the Code.
• Not bring the Institute into disrepute.