QEHSOperations
Competency management
The systematic process of defining required competencies for each role, assessing individuals against those requirements, and closing gaps through training.
Competency management goes beyond training completion tracking. It defines the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required for each role (competency framework), assesses each individual against the framework (self-assessment, supervisor assessment, practical demonstration), identifies gaps, and assigns training or development actions. ISO 45001 requires organisations to ensure workers are competent to perform tasks that may impact OH&S. Competency records should be linked to incident data — if a pattern of incidents correlates with specific competency gaps, the training program needs revision.