IOSH Blueprint -- a new global model for defining competency in occupational safety and health (OSH) -- was presented yesterday at IOSH 2016, an international conference for OSH managers and duty-holders in London.
Liz Skelton, group head of health and safety at Dixons Carphone, said: "The announcement was great. It is an amazing opportunity for practitioners to really understand where they are in their career development. It is also an opportunity to really raise the bar of the profession."
David Sharp, managing director at International Workplace, said: "We now have an authoritative, reliable roadmap for developing the profession and the people in it. It's a big opportunity -- it has mapped the world of health and safety."
Gail Wroth, head of production and safety at Liverpool Philharmonic, said: "I love the new term, Blueprint. It is a term we use a lot at Liverpool Philharmonic so it really fits in well with my organisation. It is going to be really useful and a great way of judging levels of competency."
Developed by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and a cross-sector group of industry experts, Blueprint is a competency framework for safety and health at work, designed for OSH professionals and organisations in every sector of industry.
For the first time, individuals and businesses will have a shared framework for safety and health skills and capability, available online and free to access, delegates at IOSH 2016 heard.
Jo Humphries, director for business change at Arriva, said: "I am really looking forward to being able to access it and use it. I think it will provide a great competency framework to enhance skills and maintain competencies in our industry."
Gary Allison, health and safety consultant at Elas Ltd with a background in the nuclear industry, said: "What this will enable us to do is measure our competencies within our chosen field. It will give us a better benchmarking facility throughout industries."
Louise Whelan, safety advisor for Jaguar Land Rover, said: "It's a very exciting development. I will be able to use it to see where I am in terms of my career, decide what I want to do, and also find out what I need to do to achieve my ambitions."
The first component of Blueprint -- a self-assessment tool enabling OSH professionals to assess their competencies and produce professional profiles and development plans -- was released earlier this year to IOSH members. In 2017, the profession will be able to use IOSH Blueprint to access new knowledge and skills training through a 'knowledge bank' of resources.
And organisations worldwide will for the first time be able to assess their current skills and capability and determine their future needs, enabling them to deliver their vision for safety and health.
Brenda Weir, a retired head of health and safety at London Fire Brigade and member of IOSH's Essex branch, said: "It presents a clear way forward to allow those who are embarking on health and safety as a formal career. Because of that I really welcome it. One key point is people have to be honest when they are using it."
Kevin Rooney, health and safety compliance and audit manager for Mapeley Estates, said: "I think Blueprint is a fantastic resource. It will allow me and others to map out a career pathway and create a personal development plan."
IOSH Blueprint was presented yesterday by IOSH executive director of policy Shelley Frost. She said: "The response we are getting is extremely encouraging.
"With the framework more focused on engagement, influence and strategic planning, Blueprint will ensure the safety and health professional is better equipped to deliver their role with a greater understanding of the business context.
"For organisations, IOSH Blueprint will set the standard for 'what good looks like' in OSH competence, enable the benchmark of best practice and establish a common language in OSH globally. Multinational businesses and other organisations will be able to adopt IOSH Blueprint, establishing the model as the standard-setter and framework for safety and health competency worldwide."
Announcements will be made later this year on the phased roll-out of IOSH Blueprint.
