Appointing a health and safety consultant is, in legal terms, a decision with real weight. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers have a duty to appoint "competent persons" to assist them with health and safety compliance — and that duty doesn't disappear just because you've outsourced the work. If your consultant gets it wrong, the enforcement and reputational consequences still land on your business.

The problem is that "health and safety consultant" is an unregulated title. There is no license required to practise, no central register you must appear on, and no legal bar to someone setting up as a consultant with minimal training. That makes due diligence your responsibility, not a formality. Here's how to actually verify competence, rather than simply taking it on trust.

1. Verify Qualifications Directly — Don't Just Take Their Word

A website bio or CV listing "NEBOSH qualified" or "Chartered IOSH member" is a claim, not proof. Competent consultants expect to be asked for evidence, and most professional bodies make verification straightforward:

• NEBOSH certificates can be checked by asking the consultant for their certificate number and verifying it directly with NEBOSH, who offer a certificate verification service for employers.

• IOSH membership can be checked using the "Find a Consultant" or member-verification tools on the IOSH website, which lets you confirm both that someone is a member and what grade (Chartered, Graduate, Technical) they hold.

• NVQ and Diploma-level qualifications should be backed by certificates from a recognised awarding body — ask to see the actual document, not just a mention of the qualification.

If a consultant is reluctant to provide certificate numbers or hesitates when asked to have their credentials verified, treat that as a significant warning sign.

2. Check Professional Body Membership Is Current, Not Historical

Professional membership isn't a one-off achievement — it typically requires ongoing renewal, subscription payment, and completion of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Someone who was a Chartered IOSH member five years ago may have let their membership lapse, meaning they're no longer bound by the code of conduct or CPD obligations that come with active status.

When verifying membership:

• Ask when they last renewed and what CPD activity they've completed in the last 12 months.

• Cross-check membership status directly with the professional body rather than relying on a certificate, which only proves membership at a point in time.

• For specialist memberships (fire safety, accident investigation, occupational hygiene, etc.), confirm the specific grade and scope of that membership — some bodies have multiple tiers with very different competence thresholds.

  
  

3. Request and Actually Contact References

Asking for references is standard practice, but the value lies in what you do with them. Don't just collect a list of names — call them. Ask past or current clients:

• What specific work did the consultant carry out (risk assessments, audits, investigations, training)?

• Did the advice hold up under scrutiny — for example, during an HSE inspection or a claim?

• Was the consultant proactive about revisiting advice as circumstances or legislation changed?

• Would they use the consultant again, and why or why not?

Ideally, seek references from businesses in your own sector, since competence in one industry doesn't automatically transfer to another with a very different risk profile.

4. Ask for Sample Work — and Actually Read It Critically

A competent consultant should be willing to share redacted or anonymised examples of their output: risk assessments, method statements, audit reports, or investigation findings. When reviewing these, look for:

• Specificity. Generic, boilerplate risk assessments that could apply to almost any workplace are a red flag. Good work reflects the actual hazards, layout, equipment, and working practices of a specific site.

• Clear, actionable recommendations. Vague statements like "ensure staff are trained" without detail on what training, by whom, and by when suggest a lack of practical rigour.

• Legal grounding. Reports should reference the specific regulations and guidance relevant to the finding (e.g., LOLER, PUWER, the RRFSO), not vague generalities.

• Investigation depth, if relevant. For accident investigation work, check whether reports identify genuine root causes using a recognised methodology, rather than stopping at the immediate, surface-level cause.

  
  

5. Test Their Knowledge in Conversation

Before appointing a consultant, have a substantive conversation about your specific risks — not just a sales pitch. A genuinely competent consultant will:

• Ask detailed questions about your operations before offering opinions.

• Be able to discuss relevant legislation and guidance fluently and accurately, including recent or upcoming changes (for example, the Building Safety Act's implications for fire safety, or updates to work equipment regulations).

• Be comfortable saying "I don't know, but I'll find out" rather than guessing or bluffing on a technical point outside their expertise.

• Explain their reasoning, not just deliver conclusions — competence shows in the ability to justify a judgement, not just state one.

Be wary of anyone who is evasive about specifics, over-relies on jargon without substance, or promises guaranteed outcomes (no competent consultant can guarantee you'll never face enforcement action — they can only demonstrate that reasonable, defensible steps have been taken).

6. Check Insurance and Regulatory Standing

Ask for evidence of current professional indemnity insurance, and check the policy is still active — not simply that a policy exists somewhere in the consultant's history. This matters for two reasons: it protects you if advice proves negligent, and insurers typically require evidence of qualifications and experience before providing cover, which acts as an independent quality check.

It's also worth checking the HSE's public register of prosecutions and notices to see whether the consultant, or businesses they've previously advised, have any relevant enforcement history — though context matters here, since a single incident doesn't necessarily indicate poor consultancy.

7. Look for Ongoing Engagement, Not a One-Off Sign-Off

Competence isn't static. Legislation, guidance, and best practice evolve, and a competent consultant keeps pace with this through CPD and sector engagement. Ask:

• How do they stay current with regulatory changes?

• Do they offer periodic review of assessments and policies, or only a one-time deliverable?

• Are they available for follow-up support if an incident occurs or circumstances change?

A consultant who disappears after handing over a single document, with no mechanism for updates or ongoing advice, is unlikely to be providing the kind of continuous competent assistance the law actually expects. Many consultants offer a competent person service which includes acting as your H&S advisor providing advice and guiadance.

Putting It Into Practice

Checking competence isn't about being adversarial — it's a proportionate response to a decision that carries genuine legal and safety consequences. A short checklist to work through before appointment:

• Verify qualifications directly with the awarding or professional body

• Confirm membership status is current, not lapsed

• Speak to at least two or three references, ideally in your sector

• Review sample work critically, not just as evidence of activity

• Have a substantive technical conversation, not just a sales call