Would you ever have thought it would be necessary for removal people to hold a CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card to carry out a removal? Probably not, but without one your staff can be turned away from a building. Paul Dyde from Removal Recruitment explains why.
If your staff are delivering to any building that is still the responsibility of a construction company, they will need a CSCS card. Even if the building is complete and there are no construction workers on site, if the buildings have not been signed over to the occupiers the regulations still apply.
Health and Safety on a building site is something never to be under estimated, there are many possible dangers lurking to catch out the unsuspecting visitor. Even if you are only doing a ‘quick’ small delivery or collection your staff will still need a CSCS card.
Statistics for 2010/11 in the UK construction industry show that it is still the highest contributor to fatal injuries in the workplace. For the vast majority of reportable accidents the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 is the main legislation applicable. The number of deaths have reduced over the last few years largely owing to the clamp down and tighter regulation resulting in the CSCS testing.
All removal professionals working in new, renovated or buildings where there are construction workers around should be aware of the H&S requirements. The CSCS test makes workers become more aware of the potential dangers and have a greater understanding of what is expected of the employer and the company responsible for the site. If just one life is saved, it is well worth the hassle of studying and taking the test.
If you have a number of staff working in a building or on a building site controlled by a construction company, you will also need to have a trained supervisor, who must have completed the Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) prior to carrying out any kind of work.
Consider double-checking with your client when planning a move into a new or refurbished building. If they are moving to an office park or housing estate that is still under construction, check who is responsible for the building. Will you be allowed on site without CSCS cards? Maybe you will need to check with the construction company direct.
You don’t want to miss out on a job because you can’t get access to the building. Adding the phrase “Assuming access to the building or site is possible” to a quotation, may lose you the work. Having CSCS cards removes the doubt.
The need to carry a CSCS card is becoming greater because it seems to be becoming more common for renovated or new buildings not to be signed over to the new occupier until their items have been moved in. This is done so any snagging issues with the construction contractor can be resolved quickly. Anything the client isn’t happy with – including touching up on decoration - will be invoiced by the construction company to the mover.
In practice, the construction company will often charge the removal company more than they would have charged the client so it would be advisable to take the possibility of being charged for snagging into consideration when quoting a move into a renovated or new building.
Removal Recruitment has staff available who have completed SSSTS and hold CSCS cards and can, therefore, ensure that you will gain access to renovated or new buildings even if they have not been signed over by the builder.
To get a CSCS card go to www.cscs.uk.com.