2011-2012 continues to be a critical period to improve health and safety performance, with the Harmonisation of OHS Laws, Regulations and Codes of Practice planned to be implemented nationally on 1 January 2012; and the current Health and Safety Professionals Alliance (HaSPA) ~ OHS Body of Knowledge Project that will have a major impact on Course Accreditation and OHS Professional Certification.
A further welcomed HaSPA initiative, has been the establishment of the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board (Accreditation Board), under the auspices of the SIA, and the appointment of Pam Pryor as its inaugural Registrar.
The Vision, Mission, Goal and Role of the Accreditation Board are as follows:
Vision:
OHS professional education based on strong scientific and technical concepts, evidenced-informed, delivered by suitably competent persons and so recognised by the profession, government, industry and the community.
Mission:
To be the recognised body in Australia for approving and recognising suitable education programs for the purposes of professional certification.
Goal:
For all OHS professional education programs provided by Australian universities to be formally accredited by the end of 2012.
Role:
Approve and oversight the accreditation process to ensure appropriate governance of the process and that appropriate standards are maintained. Specifically the Board shall manage the OHS education accreditation process by:
- Meeting at least twice per year and more often as required;
- Approving guidelines and operating procedures for accreditation;
- Maintaining a pool of appropriately qualified and trained persons from which persons are drawn to form individual assessment panels for the purpose of evaluating applications;
- Appointing people to individual accreditation assessment panels;
- Receiving and reviewing preliminary/ provisional accreditation recommendations from the assessment panel;
- Endorsing recommendations made by the assessment panel or recommending alternative or additional actions including seeking additional information, making visits or other appropriate actions;
- Seeking advice from the Australian Council of OHS Professors in matters relating to OHS education;
- Maintaining links with industry to ensure relevance and currency of program accreditation criteria;
- Monitoring information on accredited courses between accreditation cycles and taking action as appropriate;
- Maintaining links with institutions providing accredited programs;
- Maintaining links with like-purpose international bodies; and
- Reporting annually to the SIA Board and HaSPA.
Appointment of members of the Board:
The inaugural members of the Board will be appointed by HaSPA with further members of the Accreditation Board appointed by the SIA Ltd Board on the recommendation of HaSPA. Accreditation Board members shall be appointed for a term of three years with the option for renewal where agreed by the Accreditation Board and/or HaSPA. To ensure continuity, appointment processes will be developed so that only 50% of the Board turnover at any one time.
Members the Board shall be appointed as individuals based on their expertise and experience related to the activities of OHS professionals and the education of OHS professionals. Nominated representatives of the OHS professional bodies (SIA, AIOH and HFESA) shall have a role in education matters related to that body and also hold an OHS-related university-level qualification. The OHS professionals shall be certified OHS professionals holding tertiary qualifications in OHS.
Pam Pryor was appointed as the inaugural registrar in February 2011. Pam has been a practising OHS professional for over 20 years, is a Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia, Secretary of the OHS Education Chapter and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Ballarat.
Pam is currently SIA representative and chair of the Technical Panel managing the project to develop and implement the Body of Knowledge for generalist OHS professionals. She is also undertaking a PhD investigating the factors that impact on the strategic influence of OHS professionals with senior managers.
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