CPD FAQs

CPD stands for continuing professional development. It is about maintaining and improving your skills, knowledge and expertise through development activities and then recording and reflecting on what you have achieved or gained.

CPD completion is mandatory for Technical Members, Graduate Members (which is changing its name to Certified when the new membership grades are implemented in 2023), Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows. Affiliate and Student members are not required to complete CPD but are welcome to use the programme.

We will support all members through their transition plan – the process of moving from the current to new member grades being implemented in 2023 – to complete the required CPD. However, to maintain standards, there will be sanctions for members who do not maintain their CPD record. In the new, approved membership grades structure, Technical Members, Certified Members, Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows who do not complete the required CPD will revert to Affiliate Membership unless there are mitigating circumstances. This is because CPD is not mandatory for our Affiliate grade.

If you have extenuating circumstances that are preventing you from completing your CPD, please contact our CPD Team on CPD.Enquiries@iosh.com, so we can provide support and discuss the way ahead.

Our dedicated CPD team is available to guide and support you through your professional journey with IOSH. We provide guidance documents, weekly workshops and a host of resources, including IOSH Magazine, CPD courses, webinars and technical guides.

You should start as soon as the system goes live. CPD, as its name suggests, should be an ongoing process. Your CPD period runs to the same time period as your membership renewal date. 

In the new, approved membership grades structure being implemented in 2023, it is mandatory for Technical, Certified (currently Graduate), Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows to carry out and record CPD activities. If you do not complete the required CPD (unless there are mitigating circumstances), you will revert to Affiliate membership, where CPD is not mandatory.  

You will only need to pay if you wish to take a specific training course or qualification. IOSH offers an array of free resources and guidance to help you upskill and on-the-job learning also counts towards your CPD.

We have the Recite Me tool within Blueprint, which provides accessibility and language options.

Yes. IOSH will select a random sample of members to check they are maintaining their CPD to the expected standard on a quarterly basis. You will only be selected if CPD is mandatory for your grade.

Only in a positive way. As part of our work to enhance the way we support professional development, we will soon be launching a new CPD scheme and system, aligned with our updated competency framework. CPD must be completed by members whose grades have a mandatory requirement of 30 hours per year. 

Implementing these changes requires major work to our internal systems and software. A two-phase launch allows members to start their professional journey by accessing our new and enhanced Blueprint in the first phase. They can carry out a self-assessment, identify any development areas and create a personal development plan to begin addressing any competency gaps. This means they will be fully prepared to move along their professional journey with the implementation of phase two in 2023.  

The changes we are making provide a structured way for you to develop your competencies as an OSH professional and so improve your professional journey. You can use the new and enhanced Blueprint to identify any gaps in competencies and address them using our suite of resources, which will help you both grow and maintain your skills.

These four levels of proficiency are aligned to the competency framework. The levels correspond broadly with the levels of competency expected of IOSH members at different grades. 

“Understand” covers the professional learning needs of Student, Affiliate and Associate members of IOSH.  

“Implement” level is aimed at Technical members.  

“Lead” is a level that is applicable to Graduate members (changing its name to Certified in 2023).

“Innovate” aligns with Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows.  

Ethical practice is extremely important for all OSH professionals in ensuring public trust and upholding the reputation of the profession. We are making this mandatory for our Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows, as we expect them to lead the profession by demonstrating the highest standards of professional conduct at work and in their dealings with the public. However, we encourage all members to take the assessment because we want ethical values to run through every level of the OSH profession.  

IOSH Chartered Members will continue to use CMIOSH after their name, while Certified Members can use the post-nominal CertIOSH. 

Yes. It's a simple tool that will save you time and effort, as it provides relevant information, progress details, CPD, etc in one place. It is more easily accessible and relevant for members of all grades and nationalities.

Blueprint access is supported by Recite Me. Please click on the bottom right-hand corner of the tool to open the accessibility toolbar. Here, members can access tools to customise Blueprint to their individual needs. This includes changes to the font size and magnifier, screen reader and masking, coloured overlays and rulers plus additional language options.

We will automatically transfer the last 12 months of CPD from the existing platform. This means any CPD activities entered in the previous CPD system from 01 November 2021 will be transferred into Blueprint. You are welcome to download any previous activity and log this in Blueprint. Please ensure you add correct start and completion dates for the relevant year of completion.

You can use the current platform to upload your CPD record, activities and reflections until the day before the new system launches in November 2022.

If members want to keep evidence of their CPD record, this will need to be downloaded before the switchover takes place.

You will need to have downloaded your CPD before the new system launches in November. We have sent instructions to members on how to download and two reminders over a three-month period to allow them time to do this. 

1. Go to iosh.com and left click on MyIOSH top right of the screen. 
2. Scroll down the page and left click on My CPD.
3. Once on the My CPD page, left click on the purple 'Log in' button to take you to your log in screen.
4. Enter your username and password in the space provided, then select login.
5. Once logged into MyIOSH select My CPD from the menu down the left-hand side of the page.
6. Then left click the ‘Update your CPD’ button.
7. When on your main CPD record, just above section A, there is a download all button, left click on this button to download your CPD record.

Yes, but you will have to manually re-create each CPD activity in Blueprint. 

No. However, your development areas and personal development plan can be printed, including as a PDF.

ISO 27001 is an international standard on how to manage information security. CareShield, the developers of Blueprint, have formally committed to align with the security provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR, ISO 27001 and maintain a valid Cyber Essentials certificate. 

By completing the Blueprint self-assessment tool, you will be able to see which areas you need to work on and your strengths/weaknesses, and the tool can suggest IOSH CPD that may help you. You will then add relevant activities on to your CPD record, to reflect on what you have achieved and what you have learnt since taking the self-assessment.

The Blueprint self-assessment will take up to two hours to complete. This is a personal investment, so it’s important to work at your own pace and respond in a considered way to get the most out of it. 

If you want to ensure your competencies are up to date and relevant, you will need to identify your strengths as well as the areas you need to work on. The self-assessment tool helps you to do this. It’s based on the competency framework and allows you to take a structured approach to assessing your competencies, suggesting IOSH resources that can help you. Self-assessment is mandatory as CPD is mandatory for Technical, Graduate (which is changing its name to Certified in 2023), Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows.

Self-assessment appropriately affects your practice, while the multiple-choice competency-based questions check your competence in a particular area. The self-assessment process enables you to reflect on your current skills to get a fuller picture of your all-round levels of proficiency in technical, core and behavioural competencies. The competency questions check your level of proficiency based on your selections in the self-assessment. Combined, these help you to identify areas that require either maintenance or further strengthening, according to your professional needs or career aspirations. It then directs you to the kinds of CPD activities you can take to attain the competencies at the correct level.  

The Blueprint self-assessment tool helps you to identify competencies that you wish to strengthen. You can use it to create a personal development plan that systematically guides you to reach the desired levels of proficiency in those competencies.  

The CPD record is your log of the activities that you have undertaken to attain these levels. 

You can retake the assessment if you don’t pass first time, but if you are having difficulties passing it, please email the Professional Development and Standards Team for assistance. The team is on hand to support your professional journey.  

The self-assessment and the gaps identified are only a guide. CPD is personal to you and an individual choice. However, the CPD identified in your personal development plan maps to the IOSH membership grades, so the more you complete the more beneficial it is for you.

The IOSH Code of Conduct commits members to the IOSH vision for a world of work that is safe, healthy and sustainable. It provides an ethical foundation for members working towards this vision and is part of your terms and conditions as a member.

The IOSH Ethical Practice in OSH e-learning and assessment provides members with up-to-date and relevant content on ethical considerations that affect organisations and the OSH profession in the widest sense.  

No. We launched a new competency framework in 2019 and no further changes have been made. This framework covers technical, core and behavioural competencies that IOSH considers essential for OSH professionals. These were based on extensive research with members and external organisations. 

Yes. All Technical, Graduate (changing to Certified in 2023) and Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows are required to complete IOSH CPD to maintain their membership status. Your CPD with other organisations may count towards your IOSH CPD if it fits the criteria.

Each unit of IOSH CPD in Blueprint has suggested timings built in. However, because everyone learns at a different pace, this is only a guide.  

We recognise that our members work in a broad range of industries and sectors and have taken different career paths to reach their current status or role. We also have a global membership base where skills and capabilities might be gathered, achieved or described in diverse ways. The self-assessment might not always perfectly reflect your skills and capabilities. In this instance, please choose the one that best reflects or describes your current practice and abilities. 

The self-assessment tool is available to all members and is mandatory for the following grades – TechIOSH, GradIOSH, CMIOSH and CFIOSH. You must complete the self-assessment once but can review it if you wish. You can do this at any time via the ‘reassess’ button in your personal development plan.

Yes. If you wish to continue practising, you will need to maintain your CPD and IOSH Ethical Practice in OSH e-learning and assessment. We’ll provide you with a transition plan and support you during the 12-month transition period.

No. Retired membership will continue as it stands today, and you will be recognised as a retired member who is no longer active with no requirement for CPD.

Members registered on the IPD scheme will be required to record and maintain their CPD records on the existing Skilsure platform via MyIOSH. They can continue to do this until will close the Skilsure platform 12 months after we implement the new member grades (launching in 2023).

No. IOSH’s IPD scheme is no longer accepting new entrants. This is because of changes we’re making to enhance our members’ professional journeys. We will publish full details of the new route to Chartered membership closer to the launch date in 2023.

For members already on the IPD programme. If you’re unable to complete it by the launch of the second phase of our improvements in 2023, you will need to be assessed against the new standard, using our new and enhanced version of Blueprint. You’ll be contacted closer to the launch with details of your personal transition plan.

Being an IOSH mentor counts towards your CPD. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, or would like to know more about our programme, log on to the IOSH Mentor platform to register your interest.

We will be implementing IOSH’s new membership grades, along with self-serve, personalised journeys for upgrading your membership. We want to fully support you on your professional journey to ensure that your membership grade reflects your level of professional competence.

We have had to undertake a number of activities prior to launch. These have included a formal notification from the Privy Council to accept our proposals of the changes to our Byelaws and internal system changes. We have also carried out extensive new product development work to ensure we deliver a comprehensive, easy-to-use and fully accessible tool that will assist members on their professional journey.