Posted By James Mcls
We are looking to bring in external consultants. What training, insurance, professional body membership etc. should we state as a minimum requirement before we commission them.
Regards
Jim

Posted By Dave Wilson
Ask for a check REFERENCES!

Posted By Shane J
Check

Professional Membership
Qualifications
Experience
References
Insurance.

Other items,
Resources
Staffing levels.

Posted By Teresa Budworth
JIm,

Firstly competency; ask for the qualifications and professional memberships of the actual consultants who will carry out the work for you. I would be looking for CMIOSH or Technician membership of IOSH if there is a CMIOSH on the team who will be supervising the work.

I would also ask what experience the organisation and the consultants as individuals have of this type of work, and ask for references.

You need to check for Professional Indemnity Insurance.

On the legal side you should ensure that you ask the Consultants for a detailed proposal on how they intend to carry out the work for you; This should cover what methodology they will use to ensure that your audits are to a defined protocol which meets your needs, the format in which they will report, the service standards (ie how long after the site visit will you receive the report, how quickly will they respond to a query) and their quality assurance arrangements. You should make sure you are happy with this proposal and that the quote includes everything you require before you enter into the contract.

On the cost side, particularly when comparing quotes, ensure that you are clear whether it is an "all in" fee or if they are charging expenses on top and if so what those expenses are likely to be. VAT is usually added on as well.

You will see significant price differences between sole practitioner consultants working from home(usually the cheapest due to lower overheads, and many are very good indeed but possibly less back up eg if the consultant is ill or on holiday), the "packaged consultancies" which are often like a subscription service that you sign up for a couple of years at a time (which are mid price because they offer a mainly standardised service to all customers) and those working for a consultancy which tailors its services specifically to what you want and will have a team of qualified people. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Personal recommendation is a good guide.

Good luck

Posted By Manny
Help, I've just discovered that I'm not competent (i.e. not CMIOSH)!

Manny VDSI (Member of the German Institute of Safety Engineers)

Posted By Jean
Jim

Interview at least 3 three consultants. Treat the interview the same as you would any other potential appointment. If you don't have a knowledge of health and safety then invite someone who is in post from another company with a CMIOSH qualification and at least one member of your organisation who they are going to have to work with. Also think about a union rep.

Ask about processes. They should be able to bring to the meeting examples of issues they have addressed, and the paperwork that they are going to use. If they are going to use your paperwork, ask them to critique it. Ask them to provide examples of anonymous reports they have submitted. Will this report be of use to you? It's all very well telling you something is wrong, but will they provide you with an action plan of what you need to do to put it right. Ask for a breakdown of costs. Ask for what is not included in the service.

Ask about what they will do if they find there is a problem. One consultant I employed was telling people as he went along what was wrong. I wanted to develop a strategic approach, what he gave me was a platform for serious conflict. Fortunately, I had the skills and knowledge to support my responses.

Once you have appointed them, how will you be able to quality assure their work?

I've employed some real bummers on recommendation, the best one's that I have ever employed are those who I kept a tight reign on, and were prepared to be challenged. Just because I employed them, doesn't mean I didn't know more than them, I just didn't have the luxury of time to undertake the role myself.

Set out the ground rules, PLAN, PREPARE, MONITOR AND REVIEW.

Jean

Posted By Chris Packham
Surely it all depends upon what you are seeking from the consultant. As described this appears to be a general health and safety audit, where a qualification such as CMIOSH would be relevant. However, there are occasions when specialist advice on a particular topic is needed and here a CMIOSH may not have that specialist expertise or experience.

Recommendations are useful, but not always reliable. A personal contact and discussion can often reveal that person's level of knowledge and expertise on his particular specialism. You can also check if he or she is a member of a professional body for that particular area of expertise. For example, if it is a health issue then the Faculty of Occupational Medicine would probably be more relevant than IOSH, or possibly a suitably qualified RCN occupational health nurse. For general occupational hygiene the BOHS keeps a list of consultants. If it is chemical hazard information then the Chemical Hazards Communication Society may be the right body to contact.

I think of CMIOSH as being equivalent to the GP, always a good starting point, but you may need then to see a consultant, e.g. brain surgeon!

Chris

Posted By peter gotch
Hi James,

Without an understanding of the types of premises and activities you have, it is difficult to judge the risk profile and thence the competencies, sector experience etc that you should be looking for, let alone levels of insurances, and so on.

If you choose a consultancy with a spectrum of levels of competence, then you have the potential for more cost effective procurement, with tasks being assigned to more junior, cheaper personnel when appropriate.

Regards, Peter