Preliminary Steps

Any allegation involving unacceptable behaviour (that could lead to a complaint being considered under the Code of Professional Conduct) should normally be referred first to the Appropriate Person, who would be:

• the Chair of the Committee or Panel in which the behaviour has occurred, or:
• a Chartered Member nominated by the President if the behaviour has occurred elsewhere (including behaviour by the Chair of a Committee or Panel).

The steps taken by the Appropriate Person will be directed towards resolving the issues raised by the behaviour informally. The steps will be informal and outside the formal disciplinary procedure embodied in the Code of Professional Conduct. As a consequence, the Appropriate Person will usually (but not necessarily) deal with the matter orally and there will be no formal written record.

The steps might lead to a Member having the impact of their conduct explained to them and being invited to apologise or to step down from one or more Committees, Panels or other activities within IChemE or to cease contact with other Members or IChemE staff.

If the Preliminary Steps do not resolve the issues then a complainant may refer the issues under the Disciplinary Regulations.