Competent person

[edit] Introduction

Generally, a competent person is one who has the necessary skills and ability to undertake a particular task, eg a competent golfer or salesperson. In construction however, the term also has three more specific meanings.

[edit] Building Safety Act 2022

Building Safety Act 2022, Section 35 refers to Industry competence thus:

"In Schedule 1 to the Building Act 1984 (building regulations) after paragraph 5B (inserted by section 34) insert—

Competence requirements

• 5C (1) Building regulations may, in relation to any work, impose competence requirements on—
  • (a)any appointed person, or
  • (b)any prescribed person.
• (2) A “competence requirement” is a requirement relating to—
  • (a)the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours of an individual;
  • (b)the capability of a person other than an individual to perform its functions under building regulations.
• (3) The regulations may require an appointed person who is not an individual to give an individual acting under its control who has the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours the task of managing its functions as an appointed person.”

[edit] Health and safety

The term 'competent person' can refer to a person who has the required skills, experience and knowledge to understand health and safety on site and so is able to recognise the hazards associated with particular tasks. They can then mitigate the effects of those hazards and allow the related tasks to be undertaken safely.

A competent person must not only be trained, skilled and knowledgeable but must also be able to apply these qualities to enable a task to be performed safely. It is important to consider competence in health and safety as an integral and vital component of worksite or workplace safety. It should not be an afterthought.

When conducting risk assessments, employers should be knowledgeable about the competence of their respective employees in order to provide them with the necessary training, instruction and supervision that each individual requires. Whatever measures are decided should be relevant to the workplace. A competent person should be appointed by the employer to ensure that relevant health and safety duties are met.

[edit] Self-certification

In the UK, ‘Competent person self-certification schemes’ (or ‘competent person schemes’) were introduced in 2002 to allow registered installers who are competent in their field to self-certify certain types of building work. For example, this can include air-tightness testing, plumbing and heating installers, electrical installers and cavity wall insulation installers.

The current schemes are listed at gov.uk.

For more information see: Competent person self-certifications schemes.

See also: Competence.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Building regulations.
• Competence.
• Construction health risks.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).
• ECA calls for stronger competency requirements in Building Safety Act.
• Environmental health.
• First aider.
• Health and safety at work etc act 1974.
• Health and safety consultant.
• Health and Safety Executive.
• Health and safety for building design and construction.
• Health and safety inspector.
• Health and safety policy.
• Injuries on construction sites.
• Near miss.
• Notification to HSE.
• Safety management.
• Safety.
• What is a hazard?
• Work at height regulations.
• Work at height rescue plan.

[edit] External references

• COHME Construction occupational health management essentials (COHME).
• HSE Guidance on Competent Person.
• HSE guidance on health and safety in construction.
• HSE Health and safety in construction.
• HSE Construction Guidance resources.
• OGC Achieving Excellence Guide 10 - Through Health and Safety.