In other words, a Competent Person is an individual who possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience in a specific field to be able to effectively identify, evaluate, and address hazards in the workplace.

When a boss calls an employee a “competent person,” it is not necessarily a compliment – it is a legal obligation. A competent person is an employee who is able to recognize hazards associated with a particular task, and has the ability to mitigate those hazards.