CSCS ends exemption to HSE test requirements

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme have made big changes on how CSCS cards are now obtained.

What changes have been made for applicants to get their card?

As of September 2^nd 2019, applicants for CSCS cards must now pass the Construction  Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Health, safety and environment test to get a card. The CITB Health, safety and environment test is commonly known as the HSE. The test is important for construction workers as passing it proves they can be safe on the job and can ensure their fellow workers are safe.

How could applicants get their CSCS card before

Before there was an exemption that applicants could previously use to obtain a CSCS card without passing the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) Health, safety and environment test.

Usually to get a CSCS card the applicant must:

Hold a recognised construction related qualification (usually an NVQ or SVQ)

Pass the CITB Health, safety and environment test within the last 2 years.

How applicants get a CSCS card now

There is no longer an exemption, and applicants must pass the health, safety and environment test.

CSCS’s director of operations Gordon Jenkins said: “Accepting the recent completion of an SVQ or NVQ as an exemption to taking the CITB Health, safety and environment test is no longer in step with the wishes of the industry and as such the exemption will be withdrawn.

“CSCS, together with our 35 partner card schemes, are bound by the requirements of the Industrial Strategy for Construction. The Industrial Strategy is overseen by The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) who, in 2015, announced that cards displaying the CSCS logo should only issue skilled cards to applicants who hold nationally recognised construction qualifications and have passed a separate health and safety element.”

For more information about the changes click here.