During a special lunch at the House of Lords on 20 May, John Holden said: "The official guidance to the law tells businesses they must get a 'competent assistant at an appropriate level' to help them with their health and safety, yet employers are left to guess what 'competence' actually means.

He added "This possible playground for poor advice is potentially very threatening to workers, whose lives and long-term health can be put at risk; to businesses, in terms of wasted time and money; and to people whose image of health and safety is formed by negative media coverage of some poor decisions made in its name."

HSE chair, Judith Hackitt commended IOSH's work towards accreditation: "We will all benefit from being able to demonstrate that we are competent and confident health and safety professionals, who can apply knowledge in a proportionate way."