Posted By Pete48 Clark, if you go to the membership section of this site you will find all the information you need on designatory letters. use this direct link if you prefer. http://www.iosh.co.uk/in...cfm?go=membership.grades

Posted By SBH NEBOSH = National Examination Board of Occupationaal Safety and Health.

Posted By Anthony Elsmore Clark, DipNEBOSH can be used for the Level 6 H&S diploma and/or EnvDipNEBOSH for the Level 6 Environmental Diploma if you have been awarded them. Cheers Ant

Posted By CFT Clark Anthony is quite correct dip NEBOSH may be used after successful completion. In addition dip2 OSH may be used prior to the one level 6 diploma. All the best CFT

Posted By Mitch Clark, Anyone can put any acronym on their business card, it doesn't mean they are qualified, competent etc. WHy don't you report the said person to IOSH and NEBOSH and see what there response is? Mitch

Posted By Heather Collins Clark Seems that what this person has put on their business cards is meaningless at best and misleading at worst. Why not ask them what they think it means? Cas - try this link http://www.nebosh.org.uk...default.asp?cref=69&ct=2 and you will see that you are wrong.

Posted By Cas Oops Humble appoligies. I think what I should have said was yes you can you can use designatory letters with nebosh dip. Learning all the time. Cas

Posted By Sen Sar This will be my new business card: Sarah PMT....and dont even think about arguing that point!! :-))

Posted By Mitch Sarah, I wouldn't argue my wife has one of those business cards!! Steve, Perhaps it is down to the industry to regulate itself like my suggestion earlier to advise the relevant organisations of what is happening and let them deal with as they see fit. Mitch

Posted By Tony abc jprhdnMurphy The best one I saw was from an ex professional footballer who set himself up as an agent in partnership. He had the letters RPH Hons after his name. His partner had WTH Dip. The RPH stood for right p*** head and WTHB Dip stood for Worse than him but diplomatic. Anyone can do it but I cant see how it would help your career. surely you would get found out?

Posted By Boh *receive And maybe egotistical was the correct word.

Posted By Steve Cartwright I have also seen business cards with IOSH and NEBOSH on them. However they were not after or under their name. As for the industry self regulating. It already happens to a certain degree. IOSH currently has different grades of membership. The problem is some employers are not interested in whether you are a member of a professional body. All they want to know is whether you have passed a particular exam. As for breaching the fraud act, it would depend on what they were claiming to be and what advice they were offering. Health and safety covers a wide scope of things. You will always get people who decide to set up a health and safety consultancy then worry about getting the qualifications later. They may not even bother or they may even only do a 4 day IOSH managing safety course, couple of hundred quid and bingo they stick IOSH on their card. The problem is everyone has an opinion on health and safety whether its good or bad. Also most think it is only common sense and a lot of people think they are quite capable of doing it. Until attitudes change or unless there is a change in the law that specifically states that it is an offence to call yourself a health and safety advisor/officer/consultant until you have x,y,z qualifications you will always get the chancers.

Posted By holmezy Clark et al (whoever Al is?) I too have seen numerous cards with all sorts of initials on them. To those of us in the know, some initials are meaningful and some meaningless. To those who not aware of the institutes, organisations, qualifications etc in the H+S world, most initials are meaningless, but do impress. Regulation would be an improvement but that seems a while away. And how would it work? At what level would you be deemed sufficiently qualified or experienced to be a H+S bod? I know folks with the Nebosh Cert only but with masses of sensible experience who do a fantastic job in H+S, but due to their learning styles, age, time etc will never take the diploma. Does regulation mean that these folks become "less useful". Similarly I also know folks who have degrees coming out of their ears but have no practical skills, and as such I wouldn't trust them with a toy train set without fear of them closing the playroom down altogether, but no doubt these folks will welcome regulation. Regulation alone isnt the answer, and its certainly not a quick fix. Until the Directors and owners of Companies take a greater voluntary interest, (rather than being forced to) and start to recognise the good from the bad, AND we as a body, continue to promote the good things and dispel the bad ie conkers bonkers etc (as I'm sure the majority do). I personally don't favour initials on cards (but each to their own) and am quite happy telling, if asked, what my quals and experience are. On a seperate note, I really ought to get my head round this IPD lark, should have gained Chartered by now, but for whatever reason I struggle with it and cant seem to get going with it!! Any offers of help? Holmezy

Posted By Teresa Budworth Steve, I am not saying that setting yourself up as a consultant with no qualifications is a fraudulent act. I am saying that to pretend to hold qualifications that you actually don't, is to commit the criminal offence of fraud.

Posted By holmezy Al et Mitch, So how do we stop folks setting up as H+S consultants who know diddly squat? If I set up as a plumber with no experience or training, I get found out cuz all the taps leak, get a bad reputation and no work. Until Directors and Companies wise up to what they should be getting, cowboys will still roam the plains,,,, as in any industry. We don't seem to have any effective way of weeding them out? and if there was such a system, how would it work? At what level of education and / or experience do you draw the line? Perhaps we could have a "touch screen test" like the cscs scheme......or perhaps not!! IOSH is the main and leading body, but BSC, ROSPA and a few other reputable orgs would argue that they have equally competent and educated folks in their ranks. I agree, we need to do something.....but what? Needs some careful thought. Mitch yes hols were great. Lots of sun (harmful), lots of sand (harmful - silica?) lots of vino, (harmful) some beer (harmful), lots of red meat (harmful), lots of fish ( good -omega 3?) and some scuba diving thrown in as well (harmful - nitrogen, but great fun). Holmezy giving alcohol a wide bearth for a while before it gives me the same!!

Posted By CFT Steve Slightly off piste from the original post, but to clarify an earlier question regarding the display of either Nebosh or IOSH logo's on a business card; this would likely only be permissible to an organisation already approved to display the logo in the term for which permission to use has been granted. I refer specifically to training/qualification providers that are permitted to use the logo for the purpose in which it is intended. It is highly likely that a business card exists 'somewhere', with an IOSH logo/name and indeed a Nebosh one; I cannot see anywhere that an individual would be permitted to use same by simply being a member or holder respectively. CFT

Posted By Tony abc jprhdnMurphy Mitch my posting was removed because IOSH moderator detected a swear word...which wasnt actually the case but hey ho. I dont care how many letters people have after their name. In my oppinion this is the one industry you cannot bluff your way through, although google certainly helps to find answers to questions that previously you would need relevant training for. However, I know from experience that in my industry it is impossible to bluff, especially in front of the clients I work with. For that reason my Tech IOSH status doesnt actually mean a lot but I admit it looks good on my business card. Hopefully when my NVQ4 is complete I can go for a better status, although I dont know if I will be more competent?

Posted By CFT Steve Absolutely not, sadly. CFT

Posted By Barrie (Badger) Etter With regards to an earlier posting to having the IOSH letters after a name (Tech IOSH upwards aside) why arn't bog standard basement level members not allowed to have for example Aff IOSH or MIOSH(01234) after ther name (the brackets indicating their membership no.)? Don't say 'becuz it's in the rules' that's like saying 'can't do it - elfin saffy'. Going back a few years ago when I was member of the Inst of Quality Assurance, starting as a student I had SIQA then MIQA as a basic member. So pls can someone explain why, as a proud member of IOSH I'm not allowed to promote an excellent organisation to whom I cough up to annually? Hopefully nearing Grad IOSH Badger

Posted By Tony abc jprhdnMurphy You do have the right..but probably not the talent, skill, fitness, pace, balance, athleticism, control, mental strength or courage that would be required at that level. There are lower levels though.