Long-awaited operator competence scheme launched

Our members have waited many years for a competence scheme that is more applicable to the modern waste management industry

 
Dirk Hazell, chief executive, ESA

The Competence Management System (CMS) is intended to allow site operators in England and Wales to prove that they are technically competent to run their sites. They need to achieve this before they can obtain an environmental permit from the Environment Agency which allows them to operate.

The CMS scheme involves companies assessing the risks on their site, determining the necessary roles required to control those risks and then demonstrating that the person performing that role is competent – meaning they have the relevant training, knowledge, skills and experience for the task.

Operators using the CMS scheme are then required to draft a document outlining the risks and roles of employees on its site and how it will monitor and review, as well as cover for changes such as staff going on leave with competent replacements. This then has to be assessed, certified and audited by an independent accredited certification body (ACB).

The scheme is one of two proposals which replace the former Certificate of Technical Competence, which was last year reviewed by the government as part of a wider move to simplify the regulations for sites seeking environmental permits (see letsrecycle.com story).

The other proposal, by the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Waste Management Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB), was launched in January this year, and takes into account that different facilities require different levels of competence (see letsrecycle.com story).

“Radical”

Development of the latest CMS system has been heralded as a “radical change” in certification for technical competence, as the scheme allows companies as a whole to achieve accreditation rather than just individuals at a site, as used to be the case under the previous competence system.

The scheme, which is set out in a 72-page document on the EU Skills website, is approved by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government and can be embedded in established management systems or can be adopted as a stand-alone scheme.

Dirk Hazell, chief executive at the Environmental Services Association, said: “Our members have waited many years for a competence scheme that is more applicable to the modern waste management industry and which relies heavily on corporate governance and sophisticated environmental and safety management systems.”

Tim Balcon, chief executive at EU Skills, said: “The CMS scheme gives waste management companies a choice when demonstrating competence. It is a radical change welcomed by the industry and I believe that the partnership approach that has been taken to develop this new scheme ensures that this scheme fits precisely with needs of the industry.”