New government consultant register

The new government register for safety consultants is likely to be announced soon, as part of a package of recommendations under the Lord Young review into health and safety in the UK.

Plans to regulate safety consultants had been under discussion before Lord Young began his review, but his widely voiced concerns resulted in the scheme development being pulled forward by the Health and Safety Executive. The register is now scheduled for launch early next year.

IOSH members working as safety consultants will have to be Chartered to join the scheme. While the register is voluntary, Lord Young has made no secret of the fact that if it doesn’t succeed in raising standards, the government will look at making it statutory.

This new national register will be the only independent, HSE–backed scheme for safety consultants. The HSE has made it clear that it will be referring businesses to consultants on the register. We recommend that if you’re Chartered and working as a consultant, you should join the scheme. We’re still waiting for some of the details to be settled, including how much it will cost to join and stay on the register, but know that the HSE is keen to keep costs down, to cover administration only.

If you’re a Graduate currently working towards Chartered status, we’d encourage you to continue your development so that you’ll be able to join the scheme later. If you need help with the IPD process, then please get in touch with IOSH’s Membership team on 0116 257 3198, membership@iosh.co.uk – the team will be pleased to give you the support you need.