Competence Management Systems

So-called competence management systems (CMSs) are used by organizations to ensure that their staff possess and maintain the appropriate competencies required for efficient system performance and safety. According to the HSE (2007b, p. 2), the aim of a CMS is to ensure that individuals  

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Basic principles of a Competency Management System (CMS) Potential methods of informing the public about coastal construction sites and protecting the public from entering the site boundary... 

Setting up competence management systems and ensuring adequate competence of the operative is a requirement of recent legislation. It is also considered by those consulted to be a key issue in coastal engineering projects. 

Revrew and analyse safety performance data and feed back into the competence management system. 

The purpose of a competence management system is to control, in a logical and integrated manner, a cycle of activities that will assure competent performance. The aim is to ensure that individuals are clear about the performance expected of them, that they have received appropriate training, development and assessment, and that th maintain or improve their competence over time. 

The ORR guide can be used from any point in the cycle for improving existing systems, or for setting up and implementing new competence management systems. It describes ... 

Dutyholders should ensure that they have implemented a competence management system, linked to major accident risk assessment, to ensure that anyone whose work impacts on the control of major accident hazards is competent to do so. 

Health and Safety Executive (HSE). (2007a). Managing Competence for Safety-Related Systems. Part 1. Key Guidance on Setting Up a Competency Management System Using 15 Guiding Principles. London Health and Safety Executive. 

This is a fairly succinct summary of a competency management system which lists competency criteria for each of the life-cycle phases described in Section 1.4 Chapter 1 of this book. 

Powell, N., Owen, D., Practical application of competence management systems in safety critical industries. Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2011, pp. 429-435. 

Abstract Competence plays an important role in ensuring functional safety. Safety-related systems rely on a complex mix of hardware, software, human factors and safety management systems. This paper takes a look at the requirements for such a Competence Management System, and gives information on a practical approach to competence implemented by Invensys Rail (UK). 

The HSE publication Developing and Maintaining Staff Conpetence (as updated by the ORR) (ORR 2007) identifies the concept of a Competence Management System (CMS) with five phases. ... 

Principle 15) to update the requirements for the competence management system which returns the system to phases 1 and 2, leading to changes or modifications to system design. 

The Invensys Rail (UK) Competence Management System is primarily based on the IRSE Licensing Scheme. 

Be confident that our staff are competent to carry out the tasks they are required to perform. Our competence management system identifies safety critical roles and tasks and these are routinely reviewed. 

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