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Safety & OSHAaka: CP

Competent Person

In Plain English

A worker with the knowledge and authority to identify and fix safety hazards immediately.

Definition

A competent person, as defined by OSHA, is an individual who can identify existing and predictable hazards in working conditions that are hazardous, unsanitary, or dangerous to workers, and who has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. OSHA standards for excavation, scaffolding, fall protection, and confined spaces each require a designated competent person on site. The designation is not a certification but a defined role with specific knowledge requirements.

Why It Matters in Bidding

OSHA mandates a designated competent person for excavation, scaffolding, fall protection, and confined spaces, so estimators on jobs with those exposures must account for the labor hours and training cost of having a qualified person available, not just productive crew. Missing or unqualified competent-person coverage exposes the contractor to citations and shutdowns that can stall the schedule and inflate general conditions.

Example

Pricing a deep utility job, an estimator carries supervisory hours for a competent person to inspect trenches daily, knowing OSHA requires it before crews enter any excavation over five feet.

Related Terms

Qualified PersonOSHASite Safety PlanJob Hazard Analysis (JHA)

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Competent person is an OSHA role defined by knowledge and the authority to correct hazards, not a formal certification. A single qualified field supervisor can serve as the competent person for a given activity. Estimators should confirm crews include someone who meets the requirement rather than budgeting for a separate certified hire.
OSHA standards specifically require a designated competent person for excavation and trenching, scaffolding, fall protection, and confined space work, among others. Each standard defines distinct knowledge requirements. When a bid includes these scopes, estimators should verify the crew structure provides qualified coverage and account for the inspection time involved.
It adds non-productive but mandatory supervisory and inspection time, plus training to maintain qualified staff. On trenching or scaffold-heavy jobs this is meaningful labor that belongs in general conditions or crew loading. Omitting it understates cost and invites OSHA citations and stop-work orders that damage schedule and margin.

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