CSCS urges employers and workers to be vigilant when dealing with third party CSCS card application services

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is urging employers and construction workers to be vigilant when dealing with third party companies that offer CSCS card application services because feedback from cardholders has revealed wide discrepancies in the prices charged by some online third party organisations.

The organization pointed out that the official price of a CSCS card is £30. In the majority of cases applicants must also pass the separate CITB health, safety and environment test which is £19.50.

CSCS have received reports that some online organisations are charging upwards of £150 to book the CITB test and apply for a CSCS card.

CSCS’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager Alan O’Neile said: “There is only one official CSCS website. Other websites offering CSCS card services are designed to appear official but they are not operating on behalf of CSCS. The official CSCS website is easily identifiable by ensuring you log onto www.cscs.uk.com.”

“For some workers and employers, the services provided by third party organisations make it worth paying the extra charges. But if you are paying more please check that you understand what additional services you will receive and that you are happy to pay for them.”

Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) cards provide proof that individuals working on construction sites have the required qualifications and training for the job they do. By ensuring workers have the correct training and qualifications CSCS can play its part in improving safety and efficiency on UK construction sites.

Tensor –the partner of choice for Construction / Building Site Access Control

Tensor is a preferred CSCS IT Partner and, as such, has further advanced our integration with the CSCS smartcard to enable features such as auto-learn where in learn mode, when a CSCS smartcard is scanned, several credentials from the CSCS smartcard are auto-inserted into the Tensor.NET software including photograph, name, title, CSCS card number and CSCS card expiry date to allow a seamless data entry facility. Tensor .NET then auto-inserts the CSCS smartcard’s expiry date into the employee leavers date field to ensure that the Tensor.NET denies access to a CSCS smartcard user who attempts to gain access with an expired CSCS smartcard.

Other advanced features that can be enabled include a separate verification process where CSCS smartcard holders must report to a Site Manager for the Site Manager to verify the Contractor’s details before permitting the CSCS smartcard to enter a site. This can be conducted on a site-by-site basis or can be applied to permit usage of a CSCS smartcard across a number of sites.

The CSCS smartcard, when used in conjunction with Tensor’s .NET software, Access Control and Time & Attendance products, provides a very powerful and cost effective means of centralising Time & Attendance, Advanced Access Control and Fire/Evacuation roll-call, re-using an existing CSCS smartcard as base for the entire system.

If you’d like to find out more about the Tensor access control systems and its integration with CSCS cards, just contacts us or Book a Demo, our representatives will be more than happy to answer all of your questions and queries.