Mean scores for individual competencies within each training category
| Training area | Competency | Mean scores |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Be well informed about acts, regulations, codes of practice, and guidance | 4.36 |
| Evaluate compliance with new legislation | 4.17 | |
| Advise managers, safety representatives, and employees of their legal obligations under health and safety law | 4.10 | |
| Hazards | Assessing health problems, liaising with other doctors and nurses, and providing advice | 4.41 |
| Organising and monitoring programmes to check the health of people exposed to hazards at work | 4.19 | |
| Assessing the work environment and evaluating risks | 4.11 | |
| Providing advice and information on measures to control risks | 4.10 | |
| Assessing and advising on first aid facilities | 3.66 | |
| Fitness | Assessing injury, disability, and handicap in relation to work | 4.46 |
| Assessing fitness for the job | 4.36 | |
| Assessing and advising on early retirement due to ill health | 4.23 | |
| Helping people to get back to work (rehabilitation) | 4.22 | |
| Advising on drug and alcohol problems | 3.92 | |
| Evaluating absence from work due to sickness | 3.84 | |
| Advising on legal issues including the Disability Discrimination Act | 3.63 | |
| Communication | Reading, writing, and speaking clearly in English | 4.63 |
| Writing a report | 4.51 | |
| Using language their audience can understand | 4.49 | |
| Applying legal and other ethical requirements for confidentiality | 4.48 | |
| Liaising with other professionals to organise and deliver training | 3.55 | |
| Giving presentations to an audience using audiovisual equipment effectively | 3.30 | |
| Working effectively as a member, secretary, or chair of a committee | 3.25 | |
| Exposures | Understanding and explaining the difference between work related and environment related disease | 4.11 |
| Assessing and advising on the control of environmental exposures from the workplace | 4.02 | |
| Recognising and advising on hazards in the general environment | 3.82 | |
| Research | Use other professional experts when appropriate | 4.34 |
| Report on an investigation orally and in writing | 4.26 | |
| Recognise and initiate the investigation of clusters of disease, e.g. cancer in a workforce | 4.10 | |
| Be able to analyse and interpret data | 3.91 | |
| Use a computer for the storage and analysis of data | 3.78 | |
| Interpret scientific data in journals and from own research | 3.74 | |
| Search published literature | 3.71 | |
| Plan data collection for simple surveys | 3.54 | |
| Convert a workplace health problem into a researchable question | 3.54 | |
| Promotion | Assessing needs for health promotion | 3.86 |
| Organising, providing, and evaluating work related health promotion activities | 3.66 | |
| Management | Identifying the occupational health needs of an organisation | 4.25 |
| Encouraging the use of occupational health services | 4.10 | |
| Defining the goals and objectives of an occupational health service | 4.04 | |
| Evaluating the quality of an occupational health service and carrying out clinical audit | 3.85 | |
| Managing an occupational health department | 3.80 | |
| Evaluating the service provided | 3.79 | |
| Designing a training programme for occupational health staff | 3.66 | |
| Organising record keeping using computers if appropriate | 3.65 | |
| Defining the roles of occupational health staff and formulating job descriptions | 3.64 | |
| Selecting, appointing, supervising, and appraising staff performance | 3.62 | |
| Negotiating and managing a budget | 3.51 | |
| Lead a team of multidisciplinary service providers | 3.43 | |
| Plan the efficient use of multidisciplinary resources | 3.42 |