Competent Persons Schemes, HERS, and UKAS Accreditation: Ensuring Quality in Highway Electrical Contracting

In the complex world of highway electrical contracting, ensuring both the competence of individuals and the robustness of assessment processes is paramount. Clients need confidence that their projects are in capable hands, and this is where schemes such as the NICEIC Approved Contractor scheme, the Highways Electrical Registration Scheme (HERS), and UKAS accreditation play a crucial role.

Competent Persons Schemes: The Organisational Focus

Competent Persons Schemes, such as the NICEIC Approved Contractor scheme, primarily focus on the competence of the organisation undertaking the work. They assess the company’s qualifications, experience, insurance coverage, and the presence of a qualified supervisor. While these schemes do require individuals performing the work to be ‘competent’, the definition of competence remains somewhat open to interpretation. The responsibility for ensuring individual competence often falls on the qualified supervisor, which can lead to a degree of ambiguity.

HERS: Defining Competence, Ensuring Confidence

The Highways Electrical Registration Scheme (HERS) adopts a more definitive approach by establishing clear and specific competency standards for various job roles within the highway electrical sector. These standards encompass technical skills, safety knowledge, and adherence to the National Highway Sector Scheme 8 (NHSS 8). HERS requires individuals to provide concrete evidence of their competence through recognised qualifications, relevant experience, and periodic assessments. This leaves no room for ambiguity, ensuring that everyone on the job, from the supervisor to the operative, is qualified to a defined standard.

UKAS Accreditation: The Seal of Approval

UKAS accreditation, based on the ISO 17020 standard, adds an extra layer of confidence by focusing on the assessment process itself. It ensures that the bodies responsible for assessing individuals or organisations for schemes like HERS operate to the highest standards of impartiality, independence, and technical competence. UKAS accreditation involves rigorous assessments of the personnel, procedures, and documentation of the assessment body, along with regular surveillance audits to ensure ongoing compliance.

The Gold Standard: HERS with UKAS Accreditation

When an organisation is registered under HERS and the assessment body holds UKAS accreditation, this creates a gold standard in highway electrical contracting. Clients can have complete confidence not only in the qualifications of the individuals working on their projects but also in the integrity and reliability of the assessment process that validated those qualifications.

As exemplified by Electrical Testing Ltd, embracing HERS with UKAS accreditation demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards in the industry. It is a clear signal to clients that their projects will be handled by qualified professionals, assessed through a rigorous and reliable process.