CPD FAQs

The requirement for Certified Practitioner (COHSPrac), Certified Professional (COHSProf) and Chartered Professional (ChOHSP) members is 20 points per year across a three-year rolling cycle.

For simplicity, 1 hour of activity = 1 CPD point. There are a range of activities, both formal and informal, that can be considered CPD. These are activities offered through the Australian Institute of Health & Safety and external providers that are beyond normal employment.

CPD types are based on the current activities a certified member can undertake and are grouped into categories. The categories are:

• Formal education: Completion of an OHS or related OHS qualification*.
• Learning activities: Participating in online or face-to-face training that is not part of a formal qualification.
• Conferences and symposiums: Attend half, 1 full day or multiple-day conferences or seminars, both face-to-face or online.
• Contribution to Intellectual Capital: Preparing or presenting papers at conferences, symposiums, seminars, authoring of OHS BoK chapters, articles, or blogs that are beyond normal employment.
• Industry involvement: For those who are working in academic positions or consulting, where they are fostering links within the profession for the benefit of OHS practices in Australia.
• Service to the profession: Contributing time and expertise to the profession, beyond normal employment.
• Informal education: Informal learning that is not part of day-to-day workplace training.

*If completing more than 1 unit per year, multiply the number of points by the number of units. Refer to https://www.ohseducationaccreditation.org.au/ for details of OHS Accredited Qualifications.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement for all Certified Members to maintain their certification. Because the point system is rolling across a 3 year period, some years you may complete less than 20 points and others more. The requirement is that you have 60 points across a rolling period. Annually 10% of Certified Professionals will be randomly chosen and audited to ensure CPD is completed. Refer to the table below for an example of the 3 year rolling period.

Recording CPD is only required if you are an active Certified Member. However, we do encourage all to invest in their professional development to ensure continued growth and development.

Yes. Activities such as the AIHS National Conference, AIHS Symposiums and AIHS Webinars will be automatically recorded in your CPD Log once they have been completed and you have be marked as attended. For Webinars, you are not required to participate at the time of the presentation as we recognise it is common to listen to the recording at a later date.

No. While the mentoring program is run by AIHS, the number of points will depend on the number of contact hours spent mentoring. For example, if you have 5 1:1 mentoring sessions of 1 hour each, then you should record 5 points.

No. Volunteering will vary from person to person. The amount of points recorded will depending on the number of hours spent. For example, if you attend 6 1 hour meetings in a year, then you should record 6 points.

No. Endorsed Training registrations are taken directly with the provider. Each program has set CPD Points allocated, which can be found on the event page on the AIHS website.

To access your CPD Dashboard, log into the AIHS website, click on your name in the top right hand corner and select My Account. Then select CPD Dashboard from the tabs. Download the CPD Guide or watch the CPD Dashboard Tutorial to get started.

 

There are limits on the number of points that can be recorded for certain activities at different levels of certification. Certified OHS Practitioners should undertake further formal education, participate in learning activities and attend events for both education and networking. Certified OHS Professionals, while formal education cannot be ruled out, are less likely to complete further formal education and more likely to participate in learning activities, attend events, and begin to give back to the profession. Chartered OHS Professionals are less likely to obtain further formal qualifications and participate in learning activities such as eLearning and face to face training. At this level, a key requirement for CPD is a focus on using their knowledge, experience and capability to give back to the profession. A greater focus is placed on these CPD Categories to encourage this lifecycle of giving back.
Refer to the table below for details on each category:

All Certified Professional Members are required to renew their membership annually.
On their membership renewal date, members are required to confirm they have met their CPD obligations. Memberships that are not paid by the due date will become overdue. If membership remains unpaid for more than 3 months past the due date, the membership will lapse and no longer allow access to the membership benefits (including Certification status).
Lapsed members will need to re-apply for certification and provide mandatory proof of CPD for their Certified Professional Membership to be reinstated.
Annually 10% of Certified Professionals will be randomly chosen and audited.
If, as a result of this audit, a certified member has not met their CPD requirements, then they will be given a period of 60 days to bring their record up to date. A failure to do so will result in the Member being downgraded to AIHS Member and losing their Certified Member level.

The CPD Planning Tool isn't a requirement, but we would recommend using it to think about your year ahead and put in place some targets, or training that you know you will be attending in the future. Once the planned activity is in place, you can return to your CPD Dashboard, under VIEW/EDIT and change your activity from Planned to Completed for it to appear in your CPD Log.

Certified Members experiencing difficult periods or away from work on parental leave can apply for a 1-year grace period in which they are not obligated to complete CPD. At the end of the 12 months, the CPD requirements will resume.