What is one of the main responsibilities of a competent person?

One of the main responsibilities of a competent person is to eliminate unsafe working conditions. A competent person is defined as someone who is knowledgeable about relevant regulations and safety practices, and has the authority to take corrective action to ensure a safe work environment. This role involves assessing the workplace for hazards and implementing necessary changes to mitigate risks. By prioritizing safety and proactively addressing potential hazards, a competent person plays a crucial role in protecting the health and safety of all workers on a site.

While designing scaffolds, training new users, and operating equipment are important tasks, they are not as central to the foundational responsibility of ensuring safety as the elimination of unsafe working conditions. The ultimate goal of having a competent person on the job site is to uphold safety standards and prevent incidents before they occur, making their responsibility in eliminating unsafe conditions vital.