Who can apply for accreditation?
Organisations and individuals who offer consultancy services in ergonomics and human factors are eligible to apply for accreditation (or registration, as we refer to it) with the IEHF, provided that their ergonomics expertise is available on a consultancy basis to any potential client. They also need to be of sound and stable commercial standing. All Registered Consultancies must abide by the IEHF’s Code of Conduct.
What particular criteria have to be met by an organisation?
If you are an ergonomics group within a larger organisation, you must provide ergonomics consultancy services independent of your parent organisation. You must have at least one Registered Member or Fellow of the IEHF on your permanent staff (this could be you, of course). They must be nominated as the main contact, and must assume responsibility for your consultancy’s application for registration, and afterwards in communications with the IEHF.
What particular criteria have to be met by an individual?
If you are applying as an individual (i.e. sole trader or freelance), you must be available for consultancy at least on a part-time basis. You would not normally qualify for registration if fully employed by another organisation. You must be a Registered Member or Fellow of the IEHF and be the main contact.
Can I apply if I have only just formed a consultancy?
Yes, provided you meet the requirements for registration. If you have no trading history, you may be designated in our promotion of you as a ‘New Consultancy’ for the first year of registration.
How is the application assessed?
Applications are reviewed by the Consultancy Panel of the Institute’s Professional Affairs Board. The Panel will assess your application to determine whether the claims made within it are appropriate given the experience presented on the application form. This form is the sole means by which a consultancy can be approved for registration.
When completing the form it is important to remember that the Institute is registering your consultancy – it is not registering you as an individual. You must demonstrate that your consultancy has a track record of experience in the areas of competence being claimed. The Panel will decide if the claims being made about competence are reasonable and may request more information before a decision is made. The Panel therefore needs to understand what the consultancy has done, rather than what your personal experience is. For example, if you have spent 10 years as an employee of British Aerospace working on Eurofighter, you can’t claim Eurofighter as experience for your consultancy.
The assessors will review the projects you have entered as experience during the period the consultancy has been operating, and link those back to the competencies being claimed. If there is no evidence that describes the work undertaken to achieve the competencies claimed, the competence can’t be assessed and will be removed from the application. The assessors are also forming a judgment based on the cited experience about the organisation’s competence as a consultancy – how it delivers work, the quality systems in place, client management and so on.
The technical quality of your ergonomics consultancy service will be assumed to be satisfactory if all the work is performed by a Registered Member of the Institute, or the work is supervised and signed off by a Registered Member. The assessors will also seek to ensure that you have demonstrated the ability to plan and conduct projects within commercial time and budget constraints. To help with this, specific evidence of successfully completed ergonomics projects carried out in the three years prior to the application must be provided.
So, when completing the application form:
- Choose the competencies you wish to claim carefully
- Describe the technical approach you took in delivering the project
- Show the links in the description of your experience to the competencies
- Describe how the deliverables you contributed to achieved the competency
What happens if my consultancy’s application is accepted?
Congratulate yourself! Your consultancy will be listed as an IEHF Registered Consultancy, and will be promoted via our website to potential clients. It is important therefore to think carefully about the details and descriptions you supply to us for this purpose, in order to maximise your chances of attracting work. You will be able to use a special IEHF logo to show your accreditation.
Do I have to renew my application?
Yes, each year, we will ask you to re-affirm your eligibility for registration and to confirm that the details of your entry are wholly accurate and complete.
How much does it cost?
The annual subscription for a Registered Consultancy is £175+VAT. There is also a one-off application fee of £75+VAT. Please consider paying your annual subscription by direct debit.
How do I apply?
- Complete the application form.
- Gather your supporting material as requested on the form.
- Email everything to the IEHF office at applications@ergonomics.org.uk.
- Send a cheque for the application fee or call the office on 01509 234904 to pay by phone.
I need help!
If you have any queries and need help or further information, please contact us.
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