Hello,  I am a very new IOSH member and not used to using online forums so I hope I'm posting in the correct format, etc.  I couldn't find an existing thread regarding this subject but I imagine this isn't a new query.

In the professional OSH world, what is considered to be the minimum IOSH membership level to be able to operate successfully as an independent self employed H&S consultant?

Thank you in advance for your time and responses.

Thank you Ian for your reply.  I think I haven't worded my question clearly so apologies for that.  I guess I'm really trying to establish that, putting relevant H&S qualifications/competence aside, would there be a perceived minimum IOSH membership grade that would hold sufficient gravitas in this role?  From experience, employers often mix up/miss-quote NEBOSH qualifications and IOSH membership so maybe this isn't an issue but I'm interested in what the professionals think amongst themselves.  Membership grade is based on experience and qualifications so naturally the higher the grade, one would expect these to be potentially more competent consultants.  I suspect I've answered my own question.  Having worked in isolated H&S roles for a number of years, it's good to be amongst like minded people within the IOSH framework.

Morning Jezbot - your question has been asked here in various forms over the years.

Must now be over 10 years when various bodies including HSE sat down to try and find the answer to "life, the universe and everything" and came up with the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants' Register with individual and corporate memberships.

This set some criteria for an individual member of OSHCR, and mandated that to get corporate membership an organisation had to have at least one individual membership of OSHCR.

The company I was working for decided that some of our clients might think this was a good idea so we took out corporate membership and a number of individual memberships. In practice it didn't catch on with our clients (but it might have done with smaller ones - I don't know).

A couple of years into the scheme, we had one large client who stipulated that each tenderer for some packages for health and safety training had to have an individual member of OSHCR. We didn't win any of the work and a couple of years later, I concluded that continuing to pay for my individual membership was a waste of my employer's money (even if it wasn't much money).

Within the last couple of months, the administration of OSHCR was handed over to IOSH and perhaps there will be some sort of re-energisation of the scheme. The OSHCR website sets our criteria for individual membership so you could look to that for one answer to your question.

However, it is probably reasonable to assume that many health and safety consultants will simply carry on as usual, and win work on the basis of who they are and what they have done rather than reliance of whatever qualfications and memberships, espcially if they have expertise in particular topic specialisms.

Good luck, Peter

Originally Posted by: Jezbot

one would expect these to be potentially more competent consultants

Customer experience can sometimes prove otherwise.

Then you have to factor in iosh does not have a closed shop within the UK nor globally.

"other membershipd schemes are available"

The hardest part of being an independent consultnt is not the safety bit, it sales and finding clients/get a consistent feed of work - especially when you first start.

Originally Posted by: Jezbot

In the professional OSH world, what is considered to be the minimum IOSH membership level to be able to operate successfully as an independent self employed H&S consultant?

Considered by who? it all depends what the customer is looking for - compitance is not just initials after your name. I may be CMIOSH but there are areas where i would not attempt to advive - and we have others on this forum (such as Chris Packham0 who cannot even get CMIOSH but many of us would consider the guru in his specialist area.

Leagaly as others have said - anyone can call themselves a H&S consultant.

I had a recent job interview where the previous H&S Manager (who was retiring) carried out the Interview, with the HR Manager. 

I'm not a member of IOSH and it was like blasphemy to this person, how would I defend myself in court they asked if I wasn't a member of IOSH and they questioned how I kept myself up to date. Was slightly worrying that they expected me to end up in court defending the company, when in over 20 years of doing this role its never happended.

Being a member of IOSH should be a choice, not a definition of competence or knowledge.

In certain professions it is beneficial to have the legal protections afforded by union membership e.g. education.

I have never seen such protection stated as a benefit of iosh membership.

Can I suggest that the level of risk will dictate the level of qualification / membership that I would want from a consultant. To complete a tick-box inspection of a process is very different from reviewing the implications of an offshore access plan. The responsibility sits with the company that requires the service to do its homework.

There is no "one size fits all" solution.