Competency – are We Taking It Seriously?

Relating specifically to hazardous area working, this paper will discuss how we can improve the competencies of all concerned to provide for a much safer workplace for everybody and assist in better protecting the expensive capital asset.The Author's unique experience in managing an accredited Competency Assessment Certification Body for the last twelve years provides an informed view of the deficiencies in competencies for hazardous area working. It will offer a way forward for all key stakeholders to unite to provide a competency validation and assessment benchmark platform acceptable to industry and regulatory bodies alike. This, in turn, will enable a competency culture to be developed without any barriers and strive to ensure best practice becomes the norm rather than an aspiration.