Raising the bar

In a rapidly evolving industrial landscape, the need for competent, forward-thinking health and safety professionals has never been greater. Chris Newson, of Make UK, calls on employers to raise recruitment standards by using IOSH membership as a benchmark for competence in health and safety roles.

As the EHS Director at Make UK, the voice of UK manufacturing, I have spent over 17 years working with manufacturers to improve health, safety, and environmental performance. This blog reflects my personal conviction that we can – and must – set a higher standard when it comes to health and safety recruitment. IOSH membership provides a clear, credible way to do just that.

The improvement in occupational health and safety in the UK over the last 50 years has been profound. Since the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 received Royal Assent, the landscape has changed dramatically.

Thankfully, workplace disasters like Aberfan (1966), Markham (1973) and Flixborough (1974) are now unlikely to occur again. The Act is also credited with significantly reducing workplace fatalities – from 651 in 1974 to 138 in 2023/24 – and contributing to an 80 per cent reduction in non-fatal injuries over the same period.

But UK manufacturing isn’t yet in a position to rest on its laurels and assume the job is done.

Human cost

Over 135 families losing a loved one each year is still far too many. On top of that, as we’ve become better at identifying latent workplace risks, we now know that 12,000 people die annually from work-related lung disease. And around 2,000 die from work-related driving incidents.

Today’s safety professionals are navigating challenges that didn’t exist a generation ago. These include:

the rise of automation and AI
growing recognition of mental health as a critical workplace issue
pressures of climate change
the drive for sustainable operations.

It’s clear that health and safety is no longer just about compliance.

The time has come to push for the next major improvement. But this time, it's not about changing the law.

Chris Newson

Job role: EHS Director; •
Company: Make UK

Now, it's up to UK organisations to ensure they’re employing health and safety professionals who not only know what needs to be done, but have the skills and authority to think strategically, communicate effectively, and drive meaningful, lasting change.

Measuring competence

The 1974 Act makes it a legal requirement for organisations to take health and safety advice from a “competent person”. UK law defines a competent person as someone with the “necessary training, experience, knowledge and other qualities.”

So, how do we measure competence?

IOSH’s membership grades were designed with exactly this principle in mind. You cannot become Technical, Certified or Chartered without both training and ongoing professional development (CPD). That means gaining experience and staying up to date in the field.

I now call on employers to adopt IOSH membership levels as a benchmark when recruiting their next health and safety professional. The appropriate level of IOSH membership is a reliable, external validation that your health and safety professional is truly competent. Read about the different membership grades.

What IOSH level do you need?

There’s no specific requirement written into law. But based on our long history supporting the UK manufacturing sector, we believe the information below provides a benchmark. It’s based on company size and risk level, for health and safety roles across different organisation types.

	SME / low risk	SME / medium-high risk	Large company / low risk	Large company / medium-high risk
Health and safety representative	N/A	TechIOSH	N/A	TechIOSH
Health and safety adviser	N/A	TechIOSH	TechIOSH	CertIOSH
Health and safety manager	CertIOSH	CMIOSH	CertIOSH	CMIOSH
Health and safety director	CMIOSH	CMIOSH	CMIOSH	CMIOSH

This is a guide, not a legal requirement. It’s also not an exact science – you may choose to develop internal talent. For example, at Make UK, we recently hired two excellent health and safety consultants who were CertIOSH when they joined. With support and commitment, both achieved Chartered Member status within a year.

It’s also worth recognising the value of IOSH Student membership, which supports those just entering the profession. By welcoming them into your organisation, you’re investing in future leaders who bring fresh ideas, energy and a clear commitment to professional growth.

What do we need to do?

If you’re recruiting, include IOSH membership in your job descriptions.

One of IOSH’s greatest strengths is its commitment to ensuring that those it endorses as competent professionals truly are and continue to be. That’s their job. Ours, as employers, is to ask for the right IOSH level when recruiting safety professionals.

To truly protect your people and your business, we believe you need professionals who have more than just an academic qualification.

By asking for IOSH membership, you’re choosing someone who stays up-to-date with legislation, upholds professional integrity, and is actively engaged with ongoing learning and peer networks.

Let’s raise the bar and expect more from job ads – because lives depend on it.

Last updated: 31 July 2025