Managing Competence for Safety-Related Systems

The Health and Safety Executive s Managing Competence for Safety-Related Systems guide provides guidance on the management of competence (for all industry sectors) to ensure that workers are suitably qualified and experienced for their work activities, 

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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. 

HSE (2007) Managing competence for safety-related systems. Part 1 Key guidance. Health and Safety Executive, http //www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/comah/mancompptl.pdf Accessed 17 September 2009... 

Managing Competence for Safety-Related Systems - Part 1 Key Guidance (HSE 2007a)... 

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). 

IS015189 Medical Laboratories—-Particular Requirements for Quality and Competence is a universal standard for quahty management in medical laboratories that specifies requirements in general terms applicable to all medical laboratory fields, The standard is intended to form the basis for accreditation of medical laboratories. In addition to general laboratory conditions in relation to quality control, the standard focuses on medical competence, interpretation of test results, selection of tests, reference intervals, ethical aspects, and safety. An annex concerns quality management of laboratory computer systems. 

Safety and risk management research in healthcare has adopted as its dominant trend the systems oriented approach, modelled largely on previous research in safely critical industries such as aviation and nuclear power. The systems view entails that the focus is not primarily on the mechanisms of individual human error but on the factors that shape human performance (Rasmussen 1986 Reason 1993,1997). In an organisational context, such factors are, of course, those that are within the control of the organisation. For instance, it has been suggested that quahty and safety are affected not only by operators professional and technical competence and skills, but also by their attitudes to and perceptions of their job roles, their organisation and management (Helmreich and Merritt 1998). Such employee attitudes and views are important elements which shape safety cirlture - and its related notion safety climate . Indeed, survey studies have shown that staff attitudes are important indices of safety performance not only in human-machine system domains such as railway operations and constmction (e.g. Itoh and Andersen 1999 Itoh et al. 2004 Silva et al. 2004) but also in healthcare (e.g. Colla et al. 2005 Itoh and Andersen 2010). 

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