M&M Compliance Training
So, what do you actually do?
It's a question every Authorising Engineer (AE) gets. People often picture someone buried in technical drawings, but while the deep technical expertise is the foundation, it's only about 30% of the job. The other 70% is about communication, judgment, and managing human systems. It's about being a technical diplomat.
This article, the first in a two-part series, explores the AE's crucial role as the operational guardian - ensuring today's critical hospital systems are managed safely and effectively.
The AE is an independent engineer appointed by a healthcare organisation to provide assurance that a Safe System of Work is effective for a specific discipline (e.g., ventilation, pressure systems).
Core Function: To audit, advise, and provide impartial governance.
Key Responsibilities (Part 1):
Primary Goal: To protect patients and staff by ensuring compliance with standards like HTM or SHTM and quantifying risk for senior management.
A core part of the AE role is the annual management audit. Yes, we inspect the plant, but that’s just a snapshot. The real work is auditing the entire Safe System of Work.
This means diving deep into the processes and paperwork that prevent incidents:
The final report isn’t just a list of faults; it’s a strategic overview for leadership. It quantifies the risks they are carrying and provides SMART objectives to improve safety and compliance.
In my opinion, the riskiest part of our job is assessing an engineer’s suitability to be appointed as an Authorised Person (AP). The AP is the lynchpin of site safety.
This is where a core principle comes into play: training does not equal competence.
A certificate from a course—even one of our SCQF-registered AP training programmes—is only the first step. Competence is the ability to apply that knowledge under pressure. Our assessment is a structured, evidence-based process to verify this, culminating in a formal recommendation to the Board. We are, in effect, underwriting their competence.
See how your own systems stack up. Our “AE Pre-Audit Checklist” covers the 10 essential governance and documentation points we look for during an audit.
Is an Authorising Engineer a legal requirement?
While not a specific statutory role, the use of AEs is mandated by NHS guidance (HTM/SHTM) and considered best practice for demonstrating compliance with legislation like the Health and Safety at Work Act.
What is the difference between an AP and an AE?
The AE is an independent, external expert who audits the system. The AP is an on-site person responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the safety rules, appointed on the AE’s recommendation.
How often should an AE audit be conducted?
An external AE management audit should typically be carried out annually for each specialised system.
This focus on operational safety—audits and people—is only half the story. The AE’s role is also strategic, shaping the safety of systems long before they are even built.
In Part 2, we’ll move from the plant room to the project boardroom, exploring the AE’s critical role in design reviews, capital projects, and the governance of Safety Groups.
Our Authorising Engineers provide expert, independent audits and AP assessments for healthcare ventilation, pressure systems, and more. We help you quantify risk and build a robust Safe System of Work.
Ben Martin
Authorising Engineer / Director
Ben Martin is the Managing Director of M&M Compliance Training and a practicing Authorising Engineer for several critical NHS Boards in Scotland. With over a decade of industry experience, he specialises in raising compliance standards through expert consultancy and delivering SCQF-registered training for Mechanical disciplines within a healthcare environment.
We deliver Authorised Person and pressure systems training across the UK, supporting engineers at every stage of their development.
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