Certification of competent specialist in labour protection is done according to the following regulations:

 

- LR Cabinet of Ministers regulation No.723 of 8^th September, 2008 “Regulations regarding the requirements for competent authorities and competent specialists in labour protection issues and the procedures for competence evaluation”;

 

- Latvian Standards LVS EN ISO IEC 17024:2005 “Conformity assessment. General requirements for bodies of personnel certification”. 

 

According to LR Cabinet regulation No.723 of 8^th September, 2008 “Regulations regarding the requirements for competent authorities and competent specialists in labour protection issues and the procedures for competence evaluation”, competent specialist in labour protection is a person who has received advanced level knowledge (professional higher education) in labour protection according to the Latvian Profession Standards PS0100 “Senior Specialist in Labour Protection”. Specialist is entitled to perform internal supervision of work environment in undertakings for five years from the day of receipt of the document attesting the education. Upon expiration of the term, the senior labour protection specialist shall apply for certification procedure (to apply for certification exam) to obtain the certificate of competent specialist in labour protection.   

 

the Applicant has to fill in certain Application form (Application Form can be found in Appendix) and must submit the following documents:

- Copy of document confirming identity;

- Copies of documents confirming education;

- Documents attesting the Applicant’s practical activity in the field of labour protection for not less than three years within the period of past five years;

- Copy of valid insurance policy of civil liability that guarantees to cover costs of possible losses caused by a mistake of the competent specialist, insured for a minimum amount of LVL 10,000 (if the specialist works in the competent institution and does not do individual commercial activities, he should submit a copy of insurance policy issued to the competent institution, which in its turn should insurer his/her action).

 

After the evaluation of documents submitted, there is a decision passed whether the specialist is complying with the requirements of certification, and sent to the Applicant not later than within five working days, simultaneously informing him/her of exam date and time. In case of the application rejection, LNSASC shall submit or send to the Applicant refusal of the Applicant’s certification not later than within five working days stating the cause of refusal.

 

Exam takes place in Meza street 7, Riga. The information on exam dates and time are published on the “LNSASC Ltd.” website.

 

When attending exam, the Applicant should hold documents confirming identity which should be presented upon request by the Committee of Conformity Assessment (CCA – ANK). Before the exam, the Chairman of CCA – ANK explains the procedures taken during exam and its time.

 

Certification exam consists of two parts:

- Theoretical part – it’s a test containing 30 questions the Applicant has to reply;

- Practical part, during which the Applicant has to solve three previously prepared situational exercises.

 

The Applicant receives test questioner and situational exercises of practical part right before the exam starts. Theoretical part of the test contains 30 questions. Each question of the test provides no less than three and no more than five possible replies; there is only one correct answer per question. In the test questioner The Applicant has to mark one correct answer by ticking a box provided on the left side.

 

During the second part of certification exam, the Applicant should prepare replies in written form on the following three situational exercises:

- The assessment of working environment risks on the given description of a situation in one of the undertakings by identifying the probable factors of working environment risks and by assessing risks to the employees’ safety and health if that is possible to be done without additional factor measurement of work environment; in case when it is impossible, the Applicant should specify what kind of work environment measurements are to be needed in the relevant situation.

- Determining the compliance with regulation in the given description of the exact situation in one of the undertakings; listing down the discrepancies with regulation that appear in the provided description and providing the proper justification of particular regulation;

- Listing down necessary work environment protection tools in the given description of a situation in one of the undertakings.

There are 90 min given in total to prepare all certification exam replies. Any outside tools or materials that could help to provide the answers are not permitted during exam.

 

The maximum pints to obtain in the exam is 60. The Applicant obtains 30 points, when all of the test questions are answered correctly (1 pint for each correct answer), and 30 points, when the three situational exercises are answered correctly (10 points for each exercise). The certification exam is nokārtots, if the applicant has obtained at least 70% of all the possible points (at least 42 points).

 

CCA – AKN makes a decision on certification exam results within 15 days of exam completion. If the exam has been passed successfully, the Applicant receives a competent specialist certificate in labour protection. The validity term of the certificate is five years.

 

The Applicant who did not manage to pass the exam in the first round must wait for at least 30 days to re-apply for another exam. The Applicant, who’s exam results were not accountable because of violation like cheating, can re-apply for another exam no earlier than in one year’s time.

 

Once the certificate expires, certificate owner must repeatedly apply for certification procedures which are analogical to the above described ones.

 

The Applicant can submit complaints on CCA – ANK work to its director within one month in written form.

 

LNSASC can revoke issued certificates to the labour protection competent specialist if it determined the following discrepancies:

- The competent specialist fails to comply with the requirements of Regulations;

- The competent specialist has violated the conditions for certificate utilisation;

- The competent specialist has violated the regulatory enactments regulating his/her field of activities;

- To receive the certificate the Applicant has provided false information.

 

LNSASC shall inform other personnel certification authorities regarding the person to whom it has refused to issue a competent specialist certificate, or competent specialists whose certificate it has revoked. If there is a decision passed to revoke certain specialist’s certificate, LNSASC issues or sends a letter to the relevant person in writing explaining the decision within five working days. If specialist’s certificate has been revoked, the Applicant may re-apply for exam on certification not earlier than two years after certificate has been revoked.