Choosing and Event Safety Advisor is an important step when developing your event plans. This post shares some of our tips for finding the right people to work with and how to avoid trouble later down the line.
The Health & Safety Executive (the people that manage health & safety in the UK) have some great advice about choosing a competent Safety Advisor for your business. They recommend that businesses choose to work with registered health & safety consultants who have been checked for their experience, qualifications and insurance through the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register.
How do you know if an Event Safety Advisor is competent?
People are using industry Facebook groups and Linkedin more and more to resource projects with team members and suppliers – but how do you know if the Event Safety Advisor that you’ve been recommended is worth their salt…
Qualifications
Currently the most recognised qualifications for Event Safety Advisors in the UK are:
- NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety (Level 3)
- NCRQ Certificate in Applied Health & Safety (Level 3)
- NVQ in Occupational Health & Safety (Level 5 or Level 6)
- NEBOSH General Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety (Level 6)
- NCRQ Diploma in Applied Health & Safety (Level 6)
Other courses are available but generally speaking third party consultants should be qualified to at least Diploma (Level 5) or greater.
If an advisor tells you they have a specific qualification, check which level or type of the qualification they have, as there are multiple offerings from each examination board – check that you are getting someone with a qualification suitable to your requirements. Note that some venues require that someone on site holds a minimum of the NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety (Level 3) on site.
Membership of a professional body
IOSH (Institution for Occupational Safety and Health) is the most recognised membership organisation for health & safety professionals in the UK. In order to progress up the IOSH ‘ladder’ you must demonstrate qualifications, personal development and experience to meet each level. More information on these levels can be found here – be aware it’s fairly easy to be a Student or Affiliate Member (and you don’t need a safety qualification to join at these levels), but a lot harder to progress to the higher levels and a good sign if the advisor is a Graduate Member or above.
Experience
Just like when interviewing a potential new employee, finding out the companies an Event Safety Advisor has worked with before, and repeatedly, is a great indication of the calibre of projects they have experience working on. Don’t be afraid to ask for references, find out exactly what their role was and whether they managed relationships with local authorities, the venues and suppliers suitably.
Insurance
Your safety advisor should have their own Public Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance. This demonstrates they work at a reputable level and take accountability for their advice.
See our previous blog post about choosing an Event Safety Advisor for your event.