CITB gets tough on CSCS fraudsters

Construction is the UK's most dangerous employment sector.

In the past five years alone, 221 workers have died, on average 44 people per year.

Health & Safety Executive figures for 2015/16 show that 43 construction workers were killed in the workplace in the year to 31st March 2016. Although this was the same as the average for the previous five years, there was a 23% increase on the 35 construction fatalities in 2014/15. 

Construction workers across the UK must hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to prove their skills and grasp of health and safety if they work for a major contractor who is a member of Build UK - formerly UKCG (UK Contractors Group) and National Specialist Contractors Council:  

CSCS cards, launched by the industry in 1995 and run by CITB, are seen as a benchmark with nine of the UK's 10 biggest construction companies demanding them.

Following a recent CITB investigation, a man has been jailed for 18 months and recommended for deportation for working in the UK illegally and falsely obtaining CSCS cards.

The 34-year-old had paid someone to sit the tests required to obtain the CSCS and CPCS (Construction Plant Certification Scheme) cards.

He had then used the cards to work on building sites in London and Milton Keynes.

CITB’s fraud investigator Ian Sidney, who led the investigation, revoked the man’s cards after a tip-off from the Home Office.

The human and reputational cost

Mr Sidney said: “The risks posed when illegally working in the construction industry are huge. Fraud is incredibly damaging to the reputation of the industry, and worse, it puts people’s lives at risk. Building sites can be hazardous if workers don’t have the relevant training and qualifications. We simply will not tolerate any illegal activities and will continue to work with the police to prosecute fraudsters.”

Thousands of construction workers had their CSCS cards revoked in January following an investigation into card fraud at five test centres. A total of 4,615 cards have been taken away by the CITB as part of an ongoing probe after the BBC’s Newsnight revealed that workers could pay cash to fraudulently pass CSCS tests. 

There is no legal obligation to have a card to work on a construction site, but the law requires that those participating in construction work must be competent. An employer can carry out in-house training but it is difficult to demonstrate that the training provided is sufficient. CSCS is the leading certification card scheme for construction and provides people employed on construction sites with a portable means of identity and proof of competence to carry out their work on site.

Further information

View the types of CSCS card available