As part of the beta release of the free-to-use tool, they can now create a professional competency profile and a development plan to map their career pathway and support their growth as a safety and health professional.
The tool takes members step-by-step through four core groups of skills -- engagement and influence, strategy and planning, sustainable business and technical capability.
With each core group, they will find skills categories -- defined by competency statements -- and are invited to select the skill levels that best describe their competency in each category. The result is a competency profile that will form the basis of their career development, helping them to choose CPD activities.
IOSH is also asking members for their feedback to help shape the self-assessment tool before its full release later this year.
IOSH Executive Director of Membership James Thorne said: "IOSH collaborated with a broad range of stakeholders, from business, education and occupational safety and health, to develop this new online self-assessment tool.
"Our members are valuable professionals to the organisations that employ them. As their professional body, we want to help them be recognised for playing an essential role in delivering core business value and contributing positively to their organisation's reputation, resilience and productivity. The self-assessment tool will help our members develop as OSH professionals and demonstrate their worth."
Engagement and influence, strategy and planning, sustainable business and technical capability are based on 26 competency statements that together form a framework of competencies.
The core groups reflect that as an OSH professional's career develops, they require a broad range of competencies, from technical knowledge and skills to good management and leadership.
And this year IOSH plans to develop a range of resources to help members meet their competency goals. Together the resources will form a 'knowledge library' that will continually evolve with the profession and the world of work to ensure they are relevant and valid.
Karl Simons, Head of Safety, Health & Wellbeing at Thames Water Utilities Ltd, helped IOSH develop the self-assessment tool for beta release and his team were among the first to use it.
He said: "The new global competency framework will enable each member to now actively understand their own personal development areas, which are much wider than simply being a technical health and safety professional as it encompasses the development areas that should be considered for a rounded business professional. In addition it also will enable the health and safety professional to look at the development areas within their organisation, which is very exciting."
Anyone can find out more about the self-assessment tool by emailing [email protected] or calling IOSH on 0116 257 3600.
Non-members can find out more about joining IOSH here.
