If you’ve ever worked on a construction site in the UK, you have probably come across CSCS cards. The cards are issued by the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) and although they are not a legal requirement, the vast majority of contractor companies make them mandatory for their workers. You should do a CSCS card check to provide proof that individuals working on construction sites have the required training and qualifications for the type of work they carry out. They have become the industry standard and are run by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
They are an elegant solution to managing contractor worker requirements but there still needs to be a management system. In a previous blog, we discussed the dangers of fake CSCS cards and offered advice for how to spot them. Individuals without the right documentation and/or training pose a threat to themselves and others. To counter this, CSCS cards contain an inbuilt microchip which stores information on the cardholder’s identity, qualifications and training. Site managers can then use this information to ensure that only fully qualified workers are allowed on-site.
How to do a CSCS Card Check
CSCS cards are a great way of storing information on a worker’s training and qualification. It is necessary to have an airtight way of managing these contractors so the full capabilities of the smart technology can be utilised. If any workers or contractors do not have up to date CSCS cards, they should not be allowed on your worksite.
GoContractor gives you the ability to do a CSCS card check to verify that verify that your contract companies and workers have valid CSCS cards before they arrive at your work site. GoContractor has introduced a new feature that will allow your workers to verify their CSCS details by having the information they submit be automatically checked against the CITB database. This feature is easy to use so please reach out to your account manager to turn it on for your account.
How to Use the GoContractor CSCS Card Check Feature
GoContractor allows you to create a control on your registration page that validates CSCS cards. Go to the Custom Fields Page and select CSCS Card from the ‘Select Control Type’ drop down list.
You can name your question (e.g. “Enter your CSCS card number) and then save the question to the registration form. The question will show up to users once they reach your registration page.
Users will need to enter their CSCS card number and one other piece of identifying information. This can be their surname, date of birth, National Insurance Number, or Unique Learner Number. When they’ve entered their CSCS card number and one of these pieces of information, they can hit Request. GoContractor will then search CITB’s database for the user’s information and do a CSCS card check. GoContractor will present the information to the user. The user then must check at the bottom to verify that they are the CSCS cardholder.
Manage your workers
Security is a key component of the GoContractor online contractor management system. GoContractor allows you to validate all contractor company paperwork, including risk assessments and insurance policies online. Worker documentation, including qualifications and training records can be uploaded for approval and validation in the same way. This helps ensure that you are compliant with regulation and that no workers slip through the cracks.
One of the major concerns for employers is how to ensure that the worker who shows up on-site is the same one who did their online training. GoContractor puts these fears at ease through the Identity Capture Feature which takes images of workers during their training. Multiple layers of security are built into the GoContractor platform so safety standards remain high among your contractor workforce. The most important thing is that the only workers with the right documents and qualifications are allowed on-site so that high levels of safety are maintained.
