Registered Member

Your log book is a key part of your application as it demonstrates to the assessors the ergonomics that you have undertaken over your minimum period of work experience. Ideally you should start your log book as soon as you start working professionally.

The following criteria must be met:
1. Your log book must contain separate records for between 10 and 20 projects.
2. The projects in the log book must be of sufficient significance to demonstrate to the assessors your ergonomics input to the project.
3. They must demonstrate your development as an ergonomist over the qualifying period.
4. The total time spent on those projects must be a minimum of 100 days for each year of qualifying experience (pro rata for part-time work).
5. The minimum period of mentored work in the log book should be 150 days (with an accredited degree) or 300 days (without).

Each record in your log book should comprise:
1. A brief summary, with detailed documentation in an appendix.
2. Discussion of the salient components of the human factors/ergonomics involved. For example, provide a list of reports that you have produced, the names of particular methods, tools and techniques that you used. Include reference to conference proceedings or journal articles relating to your log book entry.
3. Discussion of the salient personal and professional/technical skills involved.
4. An indication of your degree of responsibility, level of authority and description of your role in the project.
5. A critique of the successful and less successful features of each project.

To provide detailed information about some of the work in your log book, you must submit examples of your project reports. You don’t have to provide 1 from each of your log book entries, 3 or 4 will be enough. The minimum number of supporting reports is 1 per year of minimum qualifying experience claimed, for example non-mentored applicants with a minimum of 6 years’ experience must supply a minimum of 6 supporting reports.

Generally, a good guide would be 1 report from each year you were mentored, and 1 from each other year in the qualifying period.

Not all applications for Registered Membership have to include a period of mentored supervision – you can apply without as long as you have the minimum period of qualifying experience (see the Questions at the bottom of this page).

Your mentor should have professional experience within your particular area of work, so you should firstly look for a mentor from within your own organisation. Note that your mentor cannot also be one of your referees.

If you don’t know anyone who could be your mentor, you could attend a Regional Group event in your area to meet more people locally, or go to the CIEHF’s own Ergonomics & Human Factors conference where there will be lots of people who might be able to help you. If you are really struggling to find anyone, contact us and we will try to help you.

Your mentor should give you independent advice and guidance as a qualified and experienced ergonomist/human factors expert on your professional development. They should review your log book at least four times per year. Ideally, this will involve the mentor and you meeting at least twice per year, perhaps with other reviews taking place at a distance. When you apply for Registered Membership, your mentor must endorse your log book activities with a written report on work and progress.

The mentor’s contribution to your application for Registered Membership is vital. The assessors do not know you, so rely on the evidence provided by you and your mentor to assess your eligibility for membership. The assessors are looking for the mentor to have guided you, and to report your progress and approach on the mentor report form and to have ensured that you have adopted ‘an ergonomics approach’ in that you think and work like a professional ergonomist.

Find out more about mentoring.

All applications to Registered membership must also be accompanied by a CPD return. This will be reviewed by our CPD Panel and, if accepted, you will be eligible for Chartered status if your application for Registered membership is successful. You can find out more about submitting an acceptable CPD return here.

Once you become a Registered Member with Chartered status, you will be able to use the post-nominal C.ErgHF MCIEHF. You will also receive a certificate indicating your new status.

Two suitably qualified members of the Institute’s Professional Affairs Board (PAB) will assess your application. They might ask you to submit additional information if there are any areas which need clarification.

In order for your application to have the best chance of success, make sure it contains enough information for the assessors to answer positively all the following questions:

– Have you completed the necessary minimum time for professional experience?
– Have you demonstrated sufficient breadth and depth of knowledge?
– Do your log book and reports contain sufficient work to enable the assessment to be done?
– Does the mentor’s report confirm your mentored experience?
– Does the mentor’s report confirm acceptable levels of performance in the use of ergonomic concepts and techniques and professional behaviour?
– Is the mentor’s report adequate and supportive?
– Have you demonstrated sufficient experience?
– Have you demonstrated sufficient professional development?
– Have you demonstrated an ergonomics approach to your work?
– Are your referees reports adequate and supportive?