How to Record a Competent Persons Video for Your Health and Safety System

Step 1: Set the Scene and Context

Your Competent Persons video needs to demonstrate that you have appointed individuals with the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience to assist with health and safety responsibilities across your organisation. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as amended in 2003 and 2006) require you to employ or engage competent persons—whether internally or externally—to help you meet your legal obligations.

Why Competent Persons Matter for Your Health and Safety System

Without competent staff and management, organisations cannot achieve compliance with legislative requirements. Your video should establish why proper appointment and development of competent persons is critical to your operation.

Legal Requirement

Explain on camera that appointing competent persons is a legal duty under the regulations. You might say:

"The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires us to appoint competent persons who have sufficient training and experience, or knowledge and other qualities, to assist with our health and safety responsibilities. This is not optional—it is a legal requirement that underpins our entire approach to workplace safety."

Foundation for Compliance

Emphasise that competent persons are essential for achieving compliance:

"We understand that unless we have competent staff and a competent management team, we simply cannot achieve compliance with legislative requirements. The people we appoint to assist with health and safety must have the capability to succeed in those roles."

Scope of Competent Person Appointments

Give viewers an overview of what your competent person arrangements cover:

"We have appointed competent persons to assist in undertaking the measures needed to ensure compliance with the requirements and prohibitions imposed under current, relevant statutory laws and regulations. In this video, I will explain how we identify, appoint, develop, and support these individuals."

Setting Up Your Recording Location

Choose a location that reflects the professional nature of competent person appointments. Consider recording in a training area, an office where health and safety documentation is maintained, or a workspace where competent persons carry out their duties. Having relevant documentation, training materials, or examples of competent person responsibilities available can help illustrate your arrangements.

Step 2: Plan What to Record vs Write

Your competent person arrangements include elements that work well on video and others better suited to written documentation. Planning this split ensures your video is engaging while maintaining complete records.

What Works Best on Video

Explanation of Competency Requirements

Record yourself explaining what makes someone competent for a health and safety role:

"A competent person must have the knowledge and experience to succeed in the role given by the organisation—regardless of whether that is at senior or junior levels. This means different roles require different competencies, and we assess each appointment based on what the specific role demands."

Internal vs External Appointments

Explain your approach to sourcing competent persons:

"We can appoint competent persons internally from within our existing workforce, or we can engage external specialists where specific expertise is required. The key is ensuring that whoever is appointed has the necessary capabilities to fulfil the role effectively."

Development Pathway

Demonstrate your commitment to developing competence:

"Those recognised by responsible persons as having the experience and capability—but who may not yet have the formal knowledge and qualifications—are not discounted from progressing within our organisation. We invest in developing our people to become competent in health and safety roles."

Resource Allocation

Show how you support competent persons:

"Sufficient time and resources are allocated to competent persons to allow them to properly undertake the roles assigned. This means providing the training, instruction, and information necessary to succeed."

Role Responsibilities

Walk through what competent persons are responsible for:

"Our competent persons assist in undertaking the measures needed for compliance. Let me explain what this looks like in practice for different roles within our organisation..."

What Works Best as Written Documentation

Appointment Records

Keep written records of who has been appointed as a competent person, for what responsibilities, and when the appointment was made.

Competency Assessments

Maintain documented assessments of each person's knowledge, experience, training, and qualifications relevant to their appointed role.

Training Records

Record all training provided to develop and maintain competence, including dates, content covered, and evidence of completion.

Role Descriptions

Document the specific health and safety responsibilities assigned to each competent person, including scope, authority, and reporting arrangements.

Review Records

Keep records of periodic reviews assessing whether competent persons remain suitable for their roles and whether additional development is needed.

Explaining Your Documentation System on Video

You can reference your written records without reading them out in full:

"Every competent person appointment is documented in writing. This includes an assessment of their current capabilities, the specific responsibilities assigned to them, and the training plan to address any development needs. I will show you how we complete these records..."

Step 3: Explain the Core Rules and Requirements

Your video should clearly communicate the fundamental rules governing competent person appointments in your organisation. Walk through each requirement methodically so viewers understand how you meet your legal obligations.

Legal Framework

Explain the regulatory basis for competent person appointments:

"The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, as amended in 2003 and 2006, requires us to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in undertaking the measures we need to take to comply with health and safety legislation. These persons must have sufficient training and experience, or knowledge and other qualities, to properly assist with our responsibilities."

Defining Competence

Clarify what competence means in practice:

"Competence is not just about holding qualifications—although qualifications can be important. A competent person must have the knowledge and experience to succeed in the specific role they are given. This varies depending on the complexity and nature of the responsibilities involved."

Provide examples:

"For some roles, extensive experience and formal qualifications may be essential. For others, practical experience combined with appropriate training may be sufficient. We assess each role individually to determine what level of competence is required."

Internal and External Appointments

Explain your approach to sourcing competent persons:

"We can appoint competent persons from within our existing workforce—these are internal appointments. Alternatively, we can engage external specialists or consultants where we need expertise that does not exist internally. Both approaches are valid under the regulations, and we use whichever is most appropriate for the specific need."

Address the preference for internal knowledge:

"Where possible, we prefer to develop internal competence because our own staff understand our operations, culture, and specific risks. However, we recognise that some specialist areas require external expertise, and we are not reluctant to engage external support when needed."

Recognising Potential and Supporting Development

Emphasise your commitment to developing people:

"Those recognised by responsible persons as having the experience and capability—but who may not currently have the formal knowledge and qualifications—are not discounted from progressing within our organisation. We believe in developing our people."

Explain how development works:

"When we identify someone with potential, we create a development pathway to help them gain the knowledge and qualifications they need. This might include formal training courses, mentoring by experienced colleagues, on-the-job learning, or external qualifications."

Allocating Time and Resources

Be clear about resource commitment:

"Sufficient time and resources will be allocated to competent persons to allow them to properly undertake the roles assigned to them. This is not a paper exercise—competent persons need actual time in their working week to fulfil their responsibilities."

Explain what this means practically:

"This means providing the training, instruction, and information necessary to succeed. It also means ensuring competent persons are not so overloaded with other duties that they cannot give proper attention to their health and safety responsibilities."

Appointment Process

Walk through how appointments are made:

"When we identify a need for a competent person in a particular area, we first assess what competencies are required. We then identify potential candidates—either internally or externally—and assess their current capabilities against the requirements. If there are gaps, we determine whether these can be addressed through training and development."

Scope of Responsibilities

Clarify what competent persons are appointed to do:

"Competent persons are appointed to assist in undertaking the measures needed to ensure compliance with the requirements and prohibitions imposed under current, relevant statutory laws and regulations. Their specific responsibilities are documented and communicated clearly."

Step 4: Demonstrate or Walk Through the Process

This section guides viewers through how your competent person arrangements work in practice. Use real examples and scenarios to bring the procedures to life.

Walking Through a Competent Person Appointment

Demonstrate the appointment process:

"Let me walk you through how we appoint a competent person. We have identified that we need someone to take responsibility for [specific area]. The first step is defining what competencies are required for this role."

Show the competency assessment:

"We document the required knowledge, experience, training, and qualifications. For this role, the requirements include [specific requirements]. We then assess potential candidates against these criteria."

Demonstrate candidate assessment:

"This candidate has [describe relevant experience and qualifications]. They meet most of the requirements, but we have identified a gap in [specific area]. Rather than discounting them, we have created a development plan to address this gap through [specific training or development activities]."

Walking Through Competency Development

Show how you develop people to become competent:

"When someone has the experience and capability but lacks certain knowledge or qualifications, we invest in their development. Here is an example of a development plan we created for someone moving into a health and safety role."

Explain the components:

"The plan identifies the competency gaps, the training or development activities that will address them, the timeline for completion, and how we will assess whether the person has achieved the required level of competence."

Demonstrate training provision:

"Training might include formal courses, shadowing experienced colleagues, practical exercises, self-study materials, or external qualifications. We provide whatever is necessary to help the person succeed in their role."

Walking Through Resource Allocation

Demonstrate how you ensure competent persons have adequate resources:

"Competent persons need time to fulfil their responsibilities. Here is how we build this into their role. For this competent person, we have allocated [specific time] per week specifically for health and safety activities."

Show how you protect this time:

"This time is scheduled and protected—it is not simply added on top of a full workload of other duties. Their line manager understands that this time is committed and cannot be reallocated to other tasks."

Demonstrate access to information:

"We also ensure competent persons have access to the information they need. This includes relevant legislation, guidance documents, risk assessments, incident records, and training materials. Let me show you how we make this information available..."

Walking Through Ongoing Support

Show how you support competent persons after appointment:

"Appointment is not the end of the process—we continue to support competent persons throughout their time in the role. This includes regular check-ins to discuss any challenges they are facing, ongoing training to keep their knowledge current, and periodic reviews to assess whether they remain suitable for the role."

Demonstrate review processes:

"At least annually, we review each competent person appointment. We assess whether they are still able to fulfil the role effectively, whether any additional training is needed, and whether the scope of their responsibilities remains appropriate."

Walking Through External Engagement

If you use external competent persons, demonstrate this arrangement:

"For some specialist areas, we engage external competent persons. Here is how this works. We identified a need for expertise in [specific area] that we do not have internally. We engaged [external provider] who has [specific qualifications and experience]."

Show how you manage external relationships:

"External competent persons are given access to our premises, documentation, and staff as needed to fulfil their role. We have clear agreements about their responsibilities, reporting arrangements, and how they communicate their findings and recommendations to us."

Step 5: Highlight Common Mistakes

Understanding common errors helps viewers avoid them. For each mistake, explain what goes wrong and how to prevent it.

Mistake 1: Failing to Formally Appoint Competent Persons

Signs this is happening: No one has been officially designated as a competent person for health and safety. Responsibilities are assumed rather than assigned. There is confusion about who is responsible for specific health and safety tasks.

How to avoid it: Make formal appointments in writing. Document who has been appointed, for what responsibilities, and ensure they accept the appointment. Communicate appointments to relevant staff so everyone knows who to approach for health and safety matters.

Mistake 2: Appointing Based on Seniority Rather Than Competence

Signs this is happening: The most senior person is automatically given health and safety responsibilities regardless of their actual knowledge or experience. Managers are appointed because of their position rather than their capability. Competent person roles are treated as administrative burdens to be delegated downward.

How to avoid it: Assess competence separately from seniority. The most competent person for a health and safety role may not be the most senior. Base appointments on demonstrated knowledge, experience, training, and aptitude for the specific responsibilities involved.

Mistake 3: Not Providing Adequate Training

Signs this is happening: Competent persons are appointed but receive no training to support them in their roles. Training is limited to a single initial session with no ongoing development. Competent persons express uncertainty about how to fulfil their responsibilities.

How to avoid it: Provide comprehensive initial training covering the scope of responsibilities and how to fulfil them. Maintain ongoing training to keep knowledge current. Invest in formal qualifications where appropriate. Regularly assess whether additional training is needed.

Mistake 4: Failing to Allocate Sufficient Time

Signs this is happening: Competent persons have health and safety responsibilities added to their existing workload with no time freed up. Health and safety tasks are constantly deprioritised in favour of operational demands. Competent persons are unable to complete necessary activities because they lack time.

How to avoid it: Explicitly allocate time for health and safety responsibilities. Protect this time from being absorbed by other duties. Ensure line managers understand that competent persons need dedicated time for their health and safety role. Monitor whether allocated time is sufficient and adjust if needed.

Mistake 5: Not Providing Necessary Resources

Signs this is happening: Competent persons lack access to relevant documentation, guidance, or information. Budget is not available for training or equipment needed for health and safety activities. Competent persons cannot access external expertise when required.

How to avoid it: Ensure competent persons have access to all necessary resources. This includes documentation, training materials, guidance, budget for activities, and authority to access external expertise when needed. Regularly check whether resource provision remains adequate.

Mistake 6: Discounting People Without Formal Qualifications

Signs this is happening: Candidates with extensive practical experience are rejected because they lack formal qualifications. Development opportunities are not offered to promising individuals. The organisation relies solely on external specialists because no one internally is deemed qualified.

How to avoid it: Recognise that competence comes from knowledge and experience, not just qualifications. Assess candidates holistically, considering their practical experience and capability alongside formal credentials. Create development pathways for those with potential but lacking specific qualifications.

Mistake 7: Failing to Document Appointments and Competencies

Signs this is happening: There are no written records of competent person appointments. Competency assessments are not documented. It is unclear what responsibilities each competent person has been assigned.

How to avoid it: Maintain written records of all competent person appointments. Document competency assessments showing how each person meets the requirements for their role. Keep records of training and development activities. Ensure records are accessible for audit or inspection.

Mistake 8: Not Reviewing Competence Over Time

Signs this is happening: Competent persons were appointed years ago and never reassessed. Changes in legislation, technology, or operations have not prompted review of competencies. Competent persons may no longer be suitable for roles they were originally appointed to.

How to avoid it: Conduct periodic reviews of competent person appointments. Assess whether each person remains competent for their current role. Identify any new training needs arising from changes. Update appointments when responsibilities change or individuals leave.

Mistake 9: Unclear Scope of Responsibilities

Signs this is happening: Competent persons are uncertain about what they are responsible for. Responsibilities overlap or have gaps between different competent persons. Staff do not know who to approach for different health and safety matters.

How to avoid it: Clearly define and document the scope of responsibilities for each competent person. Ensure there are no gaps or confusing overlaps. Communicate responsibilities to all relevant staff so they know who handles what.

Mistake 10: Treating Competent Person Appointments as a Paper Exercise

Signs this is happening: Appointments are made to satisfy regulatory requirements but competent persons do not actively fulfil their roles. Documentation exists but practical health and safety activities are not happening. Competent persons cannot describe what they actually do in their role.

How to avoid it: Ensure competent person appointments result in real activity. Monitor whether competent persons are actively fulfilling their responsibilities. Provide support and accountability to ensure appointments translate into improved health and safety performance.

Step 6: Summarise the Key Takeaways

Conclude your video by reinforcing the essential elements of your competent person arrangements. This summary helps viewers remember the key points and understand their role in making the system work.

Recording Your Summary

Bring together the main themes:

"To summarise our competent person arrangements: We appoint competent persons—either internally or externally—to assist with health and safety responsibilities as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These individuals must have sufficient training and experience, or knowledge and other qualities, to succeed in their assigned roles."

Emphasise development:

"We recognise that competence can be developed. Those with experience and capability who may not yet have formal qualifications are not discounted from progressing. We invest in developing our people through training, instruction, and information."

Reinforce resource allocation:

"Sufficient time and resources are allocated to competent persons to allow them to properly undertake their roles. Health and safety responsibilities are not simply added on top of existing workloads—dedicated time is provided and protected."

Cover ongoing support:

"Our arrangements ensure competent persons are supported throughout their appointments. We provide ongoing training, regular reviews, and access to the information and resources they need to succeed."

Conclude with the link to compliance:

"We understand that without competent staff and management, we cannot achieve compliance with legislative requirements. The appointment and development of competent persons is fundamental to our entire health and safety approach."

Final Statement

End with a clear commitment:

"Competent persons are essential for meeting our legal obligations and protecting our workforce. These arrangements ensure that we identify, appoint, develop, and support individuals with the right knowledge and experience to assist with health and safety responsibilities. By investing in competence, we create the foundation for effective health and safety management."

Bringing It All Together

Your Competent Persons video should demonstrate comprehensive arrangements for ensuring you have the right people in place to assist with health and safety responsibilities. From identifying what competencies are needed, through appointing suitable individuals, to developing and supporting them in their roles, each element supports the overall goal of achieving compliance and protecting your workforce.

Remember that competence is not solely about qualifications—experience, knowledge, and capability all contribute. Your video should reflect this principle while showing how you assess, develop, and maintain competence across your organisation.

The key elements to cover are:

• Legal requirement: Understanding obligations under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Defining competence: Knowledge, experience, training, and qualifications required for different roles
• Internal and external appointments: Using the most appropriate source for each need
• Recognising potential: Not discounting those with experience who lack formal qualifications
• Development pathways: Investing in training and development to build competence
• Resource allocation: Providing sufficient time and resources to fulfil responsibilities
• Documentation: Recording appointments, competencies, and training
• Ongoing support: Continuing to develop and support competent persons after appointment
• Periodic review: Assessing whether competence remains adequate over time

By demonstrating each of these elements clearly, your video provides evidence of a functioning competent person system that meets your legal obligations under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and ensures you have the capability to protect your workforce.