Call for vigilance after police swoop on CSCS cheats

UK: The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has called for renewed vigilance after last week’s police swoop on a suspected fraudulent construction skills test centre.

Police carried out two warrants and made four arrests after suspected incidents of payments being made at an independent testing centre in Winchester to gain Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards without completing a genuine training course.

Gaming the system in this way would allow unqualified and inadequately trained people to gain access to construction sites putting themselves and others at risk of serious harm, the police reported.

The CITB HSE test, or an approved alternative, alongside an approved trade-specific qualification are required for a CSCS card. CSCS cards provide proof that individuals working on UK construction sites have the appropriate training and qualifications for the job they do.

“This incident should remind everyone that we cannot be complacent about health and safety despite all the measures the industry has put in place in recent years,” said BESA’s director of competence and compliance Jill Nicholls.

BESA operates the CSCS partner card scheme Engineering Services SKILLcard which allows card holders and inspectors to access technical and health & safety qualifications in real time via a mobile phone app. As well as making it easier to check a holder’s professional credentials this also enables easy cancellation of counterfeit or revoked cards.

“We now have an advanced digital system for verifying that card holders are genuine and have completed the appropriate training for their specific work areas, and we would encourage everyone to use the system proactively, especially if they have any suspicions about someone’s qualifications.”