Competent persons research

Employers are required to appoint one or more competent persons under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

A report, carried out by the Engineering Employers Federation for the HSE, found that over half the competent persons appointed are directors or senior managers, with three-quarters working in the industry for over eight years.

However, 6% of companies either do not have a nominated competent person or employ someone who does not believe they are competent for the role. And 20% say they have not received any training.

Benchmarking the competent person in manufacturing and engineering sectors (RR121) - download from www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr121.pdf