Rank: New forum user 
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I have a member of staff return from a prolonged period of illness and an occupational health assessor has informed HR that a DSE assessment must be carried out by an accredited person. I have been carrying out DSE assessment and all other H&S assessment for almost 40 years and now HR believe that I might not be accreditated to carry out DSE assessments.
What happened to a competent person carrying them out.? HR has said that the Occupational Health assessor must know what they are talking about and I must be wrong. By the way I hold all NBOSH qualifications and NCRQ to boot, has HR just said I am not a competent person and do I need an accreditated qualification? Bewildered!! Has anyone came across this before? Sigh!! P
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Rank: Forum user
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I've certainly not come accross this before or heard anything like it. It sounds like your HR department need to be educated on matters of H&S, which is where you come in. Do they expect an employee working from home to organise a DSE assessment by an external organisation?
Guidance suggests an employee carry out their own assessments, even in the workplace can be done by filling out a simple form. I'm struggling to understand why HR wants to get involved in the first place.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Hi P Does this OH assessor just happen to work for or partner with an organisation that purports to have "accredited" DSE assessors?!?! Does the OH assessor even define who "accredits" such people? Now, I can see that in certain circumstances it might be wise to bring in a competent ergonomist, but "accredited" DSE assessor, really! Shades of someone very vocal on LinkedIn who asserts that nobody could possibly do even an initial assessment of potential causes work-related stress UNLESS they have done some qualification to give them a special power.
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 1 user thanked peter gotch for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Oh God-HR getting involved! Well, for a start it is unlucky that you can be accredited as the only organisation that can ACCREDIT people is UKAS (United Kingdon Accreditation Service). They check that organisations can follow a particular standard and those organisations are often used to CERTIFY that people can apply a particular standard. As has been said there has to be a standard that they work to. Has the OH adviser told HR what this standard should be? Is there a standard? There is BS ISO/IEC 9973:2006- but that simply describes what a computer screen should be like not how to assess if it is compliant. Of course what you need to apply is the requirements of Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended. In particular the schedule to the regs which contains Minimum requirements for workstations. This is not a standard; it is simply a list of requirements. The regs do not define any person as being particularly competent to carry out the risk assessment, unlike lets say LOLER, which specifically mentions competent persons. Go back to the OH person and ask them what they actually mean. Then ask the HR people about their membership of CIPD!
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Rank: Forum user
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Of course sometimes you need a real egonomics specialist or similar. But the number one reason for going down the external OH assessor route in my experience is so HR can say “we did everything we could” at any future grievance hearing or tribunal. Also, <sarcasm alert> external OH assessors cost more per hour then we do, so of course they must know better than the likes of us! On the accredited front a quick Google finds a provider who will certify you on a “RoSPA Assured” DSE Assessor course for £36. Anyone who chose to quibble that that is not sufficient would be picking a fight with RoSPA. And no, I am not posting a link.
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Rank: New forum user
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Hi Guys, thanks for your replies, as suspected, they are the only department that is always right. I have spoken to them and have explained what the guidance says, she has replied that I must be the only person in the organisation that is qualified to carry out DSE assessment then. As I was leaving I mentioned that I would need to bring their department upto date on some health and safey issues. She replied that I needn't bother as she is already NEBOSH qualified.!!!! Glory be!!!! Does anyone know where I can do the always right course? P
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1 user thanked taps for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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If people could set aside their egos then the world would be a much better place. Good luck with your endeavors.
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1 user thanked PDarlow for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Originally Posted by: taps  I have a member of staff return from a prolonged period of illness and an occupational health assessor has informed HR that a DSE assessment must be carried out by an accredited person. I have been carrying out DSE assessment and all other H&S assessment for almost 40 years and now HR believe that I might not be accreditated to carry out DSE assessments.
What happened to a competent person carrying them out.? HR has said that the Occupational Health assessor must know what they are talking about and I must be wrong. By the way I hold all NBOSH qualifications and NCRQ to boot, has HR just said I am not a competent person and do I need an accreditated qualification? Bewildered!! Has anyone came across this before? Sigh!! P With respect without knowing the reason for the employees long term adsence it is not possible to say if you are, or are not, competent to carryout THIS specific assessment. There may be complex issues to be considered for which you have neither the medical knowledge or experience.
Reading through your post it would appear that the main problem is that HR has offended you by questioning your competence, either by accident or design. Perhaps the way to look at this situation is not as a confrontation, but of ensuring that the returning employee gets the support they need, no matter where that comes from.
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Rank: Super forum user
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O'Donnell "Reading through your post it would appear that the main problem is that HR has offended you by questioning your competence, either by accident or design."
Not sure how you managed to interpret the thread as worded this way?
I read it as, in effect, an OH provider and thence HR saying "Anyone who does a DSE assessment, whatever the circumstances, has to be accredited." With various responses which can be broadly translated as "Nonsense".
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Rank: Super forum user
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Originally Posted by: peter gotch O'Donnell "Reading through your post it would appear that the main problem is that HR has offended you by questioning your competence, either by accident or design."
Not sure how you managed to interpret the thread as worded this way?
I read it as, in effect, an OH provider and thence HR saying "Anyone who does a DSE assessment, whatever the circumstances, has to be accredited." With various responses which can be broadly translated as "Nonsense".
Then lets agree to disagree!
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Rank: New forum user
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Hi all, Thanks for all the comments, I was really not offended at all by HR, I am to long in the tooth for that,I was more amused that I had been in the presence of an expert all along and didn't know. Oh the fun and games of health and safety. Thanks for keeping me sane.
Regards P
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2 users thanked taps for this useful post.
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