International qualifications for NZers readied

International qualifications for NZ health and safety practitioners

New Zealand health and safety practitioners will be able gain an internationally transferable qualifications in the near future.

This is possible as a result of a formal relationship established between the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) and the Institution Occupational Safety Health in the UK (IOSH).

“This agreement with our UK counterpart is part of the New Zealand Institute’s push for occupational health and safety practitioners to have better qualifications and knowledge,” says CPD Special Projects Manager at NZISM, Paul Jarvie.

The work with IOSH will allow NZISM members to participate and interact in the world’s largest OH&S professional body’s programme of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

Running parallel to this system is a new Professional Grading system also based on an international model. This system will assess members against international best practice and grade them accordingly. This means that NZISM members with a Professional grade will in due course have an international transferable qualification. Internationally there is work being done by the International Safety & Health Practitioner Organisations (INSHPO) that will lead to the recognition of New Zealand credentials in over thirty countries around the world. NZISM is represented at this forum by Neville Rockhouse, CPD Manager.

Mr Jarvie says “We are currently working with the Department of Labour (DOL) and their inspectorate to participate in the CPD programme. This work is new ground but will yield big dividends both to individuals and the business community as a whole”

“NZISM is about its members and positioning them for the future. Not to do this would be in no one’s interest. The recent National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee’s (NOHSAC) report and just released Workplace Health and Safety Council’s review indicated the competencies of OH&S based professions as an area that needed to be looked at. NZISM is leading this work and will continue to do so.

ENDS

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