Press Information
Date: 6th July 2010
The new “COMPETENCE REGISTRY © 2010"
for the construction industry
www.CDM2007.org is pleased to announce the release of the “COMPETENCE REGISTRY” ~ a tool that supports the reverse burden of proof through validated Construction based competencies aligned to both Appendix 4 AND Appendix 5 of the Approved Code of Practice to the CDM2007 regulations.
Proving competency as the law requires just got a whole lot easier for every professional across the whole construction industry with the launch in June of CDM2007.org’s “COMPETENCE REGISTRY”
The team at the online training website www.CDM2007.org have developed a user-friendly state-of-the-art facility to provide professionals involved in any branch of the construction industry with their own ‘free’ validated record space to store information to provide them with a robust and reliable means that can assist in an assessment that proves they are competent.
The secure database now provides industry with a unifying central resource for information relative to the criteria the law requires for competent persons to meet their obligations and statutory responsibilities.
Anyone can now simply register for free onto the powerful platform to use the “COMPETENCE REGISTRY” which then allows you to add your Competencies that can be verified through an email process with an acceptable and recognised authority appropriate to the item being recorded.
The CDM2007.org platform provides online modular training to organisational teams in construction safety across the UK who make up the various duty holders under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. Additionally all CPD (Another CDM2007 requirement) can be listed and maintained on the system together with all the relevant knowledge proof.
A record of your competency and CPD status can be printed out at no cost using the new transcript facility on the website.
There is no better way
· for professionals to present their information for assessment to prove to their Clients they are competent when they accept their appointments to work?
· for professionals to exchange their competency credentials around the construction project team
· for Principal Contractors to know their organisation is competent to meet the challenges to keep all safe
Health and safety law is fundamentally the reverse to most other law in the UK in that, in the event of a prosecution for breach of health and safety law, there is a general presumption that the accused individual or organisation will be found at fault if it is proved that the relevant provisions of the appropriate code was not followed.
The law imposes a ‘reverse burden of proof’ on duty holders complying with the CDM Regulations which means that not only does the Client have to appoint competent persons but, the professionals must be able to prove they are competent to take on the duty. The new “COMPETENCE REGISTRY” provides the means to do this.
Proof of competency is an important element to being able to have the ability to defend against criminal prosecution. Following the introduction of the new Health and Safety (Offences) Act which vastly increases sentencing tariffs, magistrates now have the remit to sentence for breaches of health and safety law and regulation which enables them to impose fines of up to £20,000 and, if they wish, sentence convicted offenders to up to 2 years in prison. If an investigation proves that there has been a breach of duty, individuals can no longer hide behind the corporation. Proof of competency, will, however, assist toprotect them from prosecution should the case come to court.
David Jones, Editor-in-Chief of CDM2007.org says “There is currently no clear definition of competency … For construction operations Appendix 4 sets out the base-line core criteria for all personnel in the industry, and Appendix 5 sets out guidance on other additional qualities needed for a CDM Coordinator on more complex projects or one with high or unusual risks Confusion exists in how the criteria are being applied”
“When the CDM Regulations were first enacted into UK law from the originating EU Directive, I recall the HSE made a plea to the industry not to make planning supervision a profession but regard it as a competency”
Steve Dalby, Manager for Special Projects on the CDM2007.org team stated at the launch “ I am pleased our team has been able to create this innovative approach to now provide the construction industry with the means to prove competence both for all the individuals in the project teams and, uniquely, a new tool is born for team managers to ‘see’ the corporate safety risk profile of their team ~ essential if organisations need to consider a defence to a charge under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide law”
Ends
The Competency Registry © 2010 is intended to be the new central accessible place within the industry for online collaboration and data recording and is the copyright of CDM2007.org who allow it to be used freely by any member of the CDM2007.org platform and the functionality must not be copied onto other platforms without express permission of CDM2007.org
Issued 6th July 2010 by CDM2007.org, a business project of the London Borough of Bromley,
For more information
David Jones: Editor-in-Chief / Deborah Alexander: Administrator
T. +44 020 (8) 461 7551
M.07958 959133 for David
info@cdm2007.org
david.jones@cdm2007.org
Notes to Editors:
Launched in May 2007, CDM2007 was developed as a business project by the London Borough of Bromley, and provides unified on-line modular CDM2007 training to public and private sector organisations and enterprises across the UK. The training addresses the need to provide credible proof of competence, in accordance with the CDM2007 Regulations and Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
CDM2007.org experts in CDM2007 legislation, corporate risk, construction safety, and corporate risk management are available to compile articles for magazines and relevant on-line organisations where an expert’s opinion might support planned articles and subjects published for the good of Health and Safety in the construction industry. Contacts for this are David Jones on the email and telephone number attached or Deborah Alexander on info@cdm2007.org .
