A guide for your IOSH MEMBERSHIP

IOSH is an acronym for the Institution of occupational safety and Health. It is founded in 1945. We have similar organizations like IOSH and they’re IIRSM-International Institute of Risk and safety management.

ASSP-American Society of Safety Professionals, WSO -World Safety Organization, BSC- British Safety Council, ASSP- American Society of safety professionals, CSSE- Canadian Society of safety engineering.

CCOHS-Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. BCSP- Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Board of Canadian registered safety professionals and so on.

IOSH is founded in the UK with registered charity status and it prides itself on being a chartered body on health and safety that commands great membership in the world.

And having the members working in a diverse range of organizations where they’ve contributed a lot in creating safer and healthier working practices.

Being a member of IOSH offers a lot of benefits. And anyone who loves the health and safety profession would be so eager to join IOSH for the benefits.

However, in this article, I’ve taken my time to write out the numerous benefits you would enjoy as an IOSH member.

And the membership category is available for anyone who wants to join IOSH.

Benefits of being an IOSH member.

• IOSH membership will enhance your career prospects. 

When submitting your CV to a potential employer or a potential hiring company, being an IOSH member puts you on the frontline for your CV to be selected.

More to this, IOSH has a mentoring platform that helps members to become well-valued and rounded occupational health and safety professionals for themselves over time.

The mentoring platform is made up of mentors that offer great opportunities from their wealth of experience to other members. And they’ve distinguished themselves for a long period in the health and safety profession.

IOSH has a career hub that offers great resources and tools to help you get ahead in your job hunt. And also to acquire new knowledge for your business skills.

Career Hub will assist you in finding the great information and knowledge that will support your CV and cover letter building.

In the career hub, you can get all types of aptitude tests for your practice and to further equip you.

There is an interview simulator to enhance your confidence and put you in the light for a real interview.

• Expanding your network of like-minded professionals.

IOSH has over 48000 members representing every industry in more than 135 countries of the world. Being a member will connect you to a vast network of professionals who are like-minded and they can offer you professional advice. There are over 400 meetings, events, conferences and webinars attributed to IOSH. Some of the seminars are industry-specific.

• Quick access to current news and updates.

Members benefit from Current news through IOSH publications; bi-monthly IOSH magazine and their numerous aspiring articles.

IOSH’s yearly international journal is equally a good publication that one can benefit so well from it. The journal is produced twice a year and has a wide readership of members.

• Having IOSH in your Qualification serves as a huge currency.

Having IOSH post-nominal letter after your name showing your category can be a huge currency to you.

IOSH as a benchmark for excellence in health and safety will reveal to people that you’re actively engaged as a health and safety professional. And you’re someone who has the ambition to reach excellence because of being a member of IOSH.

• You can become an IOSH trainer.

Being a member can offer you an opportunity to seek and apply as a trainer in many of the courses being offered by IOSH. Some people after registering as a member proceeds to go along this line in becoming IOSH trainers themselves.

• IOSH Offers support to members in times of hardship.

Members experiencing hardship such as illness, disability whether temporary or permanent or unemployment can seek assistance through IOSH benevolent fund. Though it’s basically for those members who have been with IOSH for some years. Well, the fund is more than just financial assistance but ongoing support and encouragement to members.

If you’re already considering being a member at this stage, I would’ve you to consider the category of membership we have in IOSH.

IOSH Membership categories.

The IOSH membership categories are

• Student member
• Affiliate member
• Associate member(AIOSH)
• Technical member(TECHIOSH)
• Certified member formerly Graduate member(CERTIOSH)
• Chartered Member(CMIOSH)
• Chartered fellow (CFIOSH)

Student Member.

This is basically for students who are thinking about a career in health and safety. As a student member, you can get more and more support from IOSH which can help you to prepare for success throughout your studies and equally increase your post-study employability.

Student membership is free of charge for full-time students but part-time students are to pay a certain amount to join.

Being a student member offers you a great range of benefits in career support, mentoring, networking, research and discounts on IOSH events.

 Affiliate Member.

Apart from student membership, everyone joins IOSH as an affiliate member, from there, IOSH will now upgrade you to your category depending on your submitted qualifications.

I joined as an affiliate member and then, IOSH upgraded me within a few months to a Techiosh category.

However, affiliate membership is open for anyone considering a career in health and safety. Being an affiliate member, you’ll have the advantage to progress to other categories.

Associate member.

You must have an IOSH-accredited qualification in health and safety for you to be in this category.

If you’re someone who is currently operating as a practitioner in health and safety or someone just starting a career in health and safety, associate membership would be your category.

When you become an associate member, you’ll have the privilege to use the post-nominal letters AIOSH after your name.

Technical Member.

For you to be in this category, you would’ve relevant qualifications and experiences in health and safety. Technical memberships require you to have a level 3 qualification such as an NCFE level 3 certificate in safety and health for business.

There are other routes to getting a technical membership also. Holders of international general certificates National General Certificates or NEBOSH will have to be graded in this category.

Being a technical member of IOSH will permit you to use Techiosh as a post-nominal letter after your name.

Certified Member (formerly Graduate member.)

Graduate members have a health and safety qualification equivalent to the European qualification framework (EQF) level 6 or any other qualification that meets the graduate level grade. For you to aspire to a chartered member category, you’re to maintain a CPD-Continuing Professional Development with IPD-Initial Professional Development in the graduate category.

Chartered member.

This category is the ultimate status for health and safety professionals. Attaining this height demonstrates you like the best and that you would be well respected in the profession.

Being a chartered member earns you the respect of your peers and makes them see you as someone who is on top of their profession.

But you can’t be a chartered member if you’ve not become a graduate member at first.

As a chartered member, you’re entitled to use CMIOSH post-nominal letter after your name and can equally use the designation of Chartered Safety and health practitioner.

Chartered member status will improve your employability status, improve your ability in influencing decisions and place you on equal footing with other professionals.

However, all chartered members are to maintain CPD-Continuing professional development. 

Chartered Fellow.

You become a chartered fellow if you’ve been a chartered member for over five years with IOSH and you’ve shown a demonstrable dedication to the profession and beyond.

READ MORE ON- Road Safety and Accident Prevention

Chartered fellows are role models of their experience, qualifications, and expertise. Chartered members are entitled to use the post-nominal of CFIOSH after their name and they can equally use chartered safety and health practitioner as their designation.

Conclusion.

Being an IOSH member is a plus with so many benefits to you as a health and safety professional.

That being said, I don’t think anyone will overlook all these benefits and will postpone taking decisive action towards becoming a member.

For further questions on how you can go about it. Use the link to send your questions directly to IOSH inbox. They would be glad to guide you properly.

Reference:

IOSH.COM