An interesting question, "How does one know that their product safety personel are qualified". I do not believe that a certificate from an independent body is the answer.
Do the assessors also ask the same question of other personel in the organization such as managers, vice presidents, engineers, accountants, secretaries, janitors, etc. ? Would they require that those persons also have a certificate from an independent body? You would be in the same situation searching for independent bodies to grant certificates for all job descriptions. For most of those other positions, perhaps the assessors would be satisfied with a college degree. An engineering degree for engineers, a Business Administration degree for managers, VPs, a business school degree for secretaries, and so on. Using that criteria, an engineering degree might suffice for a product safety engineer. But a Business Administration degree does not necessarily make a good manager, any more than an engineering degree make a good engineer. As a matter of fact, many good managers have been promoted from the ranks and do not have a degree in Business Administration. In my opinion, the answer to the question "How does one know that their personel are qualified" boils down to competency in doing the job, whether is product safety, janitor, secretary, or whatever. Records are usually kept on competency by Human Resources in the form of annual or semiannual personal reviews, raises in salary for a job well done or disciplinary action taken if otherwise. Resumes are also on file in HR documenting qualifications and accomplishments. On the other side of the coin, I could not help but get a certain uneasy feeling when reading your comments, and it boils down to "Why are the assessors asking that question of your product safety personel?" A good assessor will usually have a good reason for asking a particular question, and perhaps the assessor senses a deficiency. It may be worthwhile to persue that line of thought to see if there is any basis for the line of questioning. A well designed client questionnaire might uncover the answers to his question. It might show that your clients regard your safety engineers as well qualified, which should satisfy the assessor, or it may show areas which need to be improved, for which you would be grateful. Of course that "gut feeling" that I had may have no basis whatsoever. Although the above did not provide you with the direct answer that you requested, I am hopeful that it will be of some help. Regards, Gabriel R. Roy Hughes Network Systems MD ---------------------- snip --------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are looking for ways to qualify our Personnel for product safety. As the largest independent agent in Japan, we have our own in-house training set up, which we believe is effective in training our personnel. However, when it comes down to assessment time, the topic "How do you know they are qualified?", always comes up. If we could show Certificates from independent bodies, it might help us convince our auditors that our personnel are qualified. We recently stumbled across information referring to a "Board of Product Safety Management", and also an "International Board of Product Safety Management." Mr. Peter Perkins was kind enough to provide us with the address of the "Board of Product Safety Management". Is anyone familiar with the "International Board"? Is it a play on words, or is it a different body? We would like any feedback and further information on either/both of the Boards. In the field of Product Safety, are there any "qualifications" and "certifications" (other than a degree and/or experience) which are beneficial to product safety personnel? There are various certifications which may be applicable in general (such Professional Engineer and ASSE's Safety Engineer Certification), but they cover a wide range of engineering/safety. Are there any certifications which are specific to Product Safety? Does the Board of Product Safety Management fit the bill? Thanks in advance. Art Kampmeier A-Pex International Co., Ltd. [email protected]
