What it means
A qualified person is someone with a recognized degree, certificate or professional standing, or with enough knowledge, training and experience, to deal with a subject or a job. Rules use the term for tasks like designing a system, analyzing a load or evaluating a safety device.
Some rules use qualified in another way, for example for electrical work, where it describes a worker trained to work on energized parts. Read how the rule that applies to your work defines it.
Qualified person isn't the same as competent person. A competent person is the one on site who finds hazards and has the authority to fix them. A qualified person is the one with the deeper knowledge of the subject.
Why it matters
Some decisions can't be made by a foreman with a good eye. A system for fall protection or a scaffold design needs someone who has the background to get it right. Knowing who is qualified, and for what, keeps the right person making each call.
What it looks like on a site
- The employer decides who is qualified for which tasks and writes it down.
- Credentials, training and experience are recorded, and a worker is qualified for specific work, not for everything.
- Designs, evaluations and sign-offs that need a qualified person carry their name.
- Crews know who to call when a question goes beyond what the competent person on site can answer.
- Qualification gets reviewed when the work or the rule changes.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current rule and your own procedures. Back to the glossary