BSRIA supports CITB in revoking CSCS cards

BSRIA has shown its support for the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), following the announcement that CSCS (Construction Skills Certificate Scheme) cards have been revoked. This occurred after an investigation into fraudulent activity at five test centers showed more than four thousand construction workers paid cash to pass the test.

Construction workers across the UK are required to hold a CSCS card to prove skills and a grasp of health and safety. Nine of the UK’s ten biggest construction companies demand them, as do Crossrail and Heathrow.

The CITB has revoked 4615 cards after it carried out its extensive investigation, which found fraudulent activity in centers where candidates were taking tests accredited by both the CITB and the British Safety Council.

In October, BSRIA expressed concern over the discovery that construction safety exams are rigged, after the disclosure of the flagship scheme for certifying builders was called in to question because a string of test centers were caught fixing health and safety exams.

A BBC Newsnight investigation revealed that workers were paying cash to card training scheme supervisors in order to help them pass the test. In light of this, the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) wrote to all affected cardholders in November to tell them that they needed to retake their health, safety and environment test.

Those affected were asked to register by 20 December 2015, or risk their CSCS card being cancelled. A total of 5480 of the individuals affected did not register to retake their test, meaning their test result is now void.

Of those who had already used their test to obtain a CSCS card, 4615 have already been revoked, with the remaining 553 candidates being given until 14 February to successfully take their test before the same action is taken.

Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said: “Last October when this story broke, BSRIA said that construction is the UK's most dangerous employment sector and in the past five years alone, 221 workers have died. As an industry, we've set our stall on the CSCS card being the minimum benchmark to accept workers on to our sites. This scheme has to be trusted. BSRIA’s members demand best practice for the industry where its workforce must be safe. This exposure is clearly unacceptable.

Industry health and safety and compliance must be adhered to all times. We do feel for those whose livelihoods will be disrupted, but the bottom line is that workers must be safe.”

Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/29012016/bsria-supports-citb-in-revoking-cscs-cards-412/