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A conflict of interest is where an individual or organisation has competing interests or loyalties. Conflicts of interest may occur in a variety of circumstances and it is possible that people working alongside, or for Safety Training Awards, may encounter potential conflicts of interest from time to time. Identifying conflicts of interest can be difficult, and the types of conflicts can vary from centre to centre.

General guidelines can help you decide if you are in such a situation, but in all cases, you should disclose any case and/or any potential conflict of interests to the allocated external quality assurer (EQA) and Safety Training Awards.

Further guidance is available by referring to our Conflict of Interest Policy.

It isn’t possible to provide a definitive list of examples of conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of Safety Training Awards assessments and qualifications. However, the following situations could lead to perceived or actual conflicts of interest:

• Personal relationships with family members or friends linked to centre personnel and/or learners that could influence decision making and qualification outcomes
• Assessors or IQAs assessing/quality assuring their own work and/or members of family and friends
• Subcontracting tutors, assessors and IQAs from another approved training centre
• Agreeing to fulfil the mandatory roles in more than one approved training centre
• Business or commercial interests linked to a centre and/or Safety Training Awards that may affect professional judgement
• Mutually beneficial arrangements with centre and Safety Training Awards personnel which may compromise an individual’s ability to make reliable and professional judgements
• Where favourable arrangements have been negotiated, for example supplying information to certain individuals and/or groups who are preparing for or carrying out an assessment
• A person connected with a centre and/or Safety Training Awards who are engaging in some capacity or have a material financial interest in a business or enterprise that compete with Safety Training Awards
• A centre has an interest in any activity which has the potential to lead it to act contrary to its interests in the development, delivery and award of qualifications in accordance with the conditions of the centre.

The existence of interests such as those above does not necessarily imply conflict, but is likely to give an appearance of conflict and as such should be declared to Safety Training Awards by completing and submitting the conflict of interest disclosure form which is available to download from our Conflict of Interest Policy.

View Conflict of Interest Policy