The Construction Skills Certification Scheme has revoked 4,615 CSCS cards issued on false pretences after it emerged that the tests for the underlying qualifications were taken at test centres offering “cash for qualifications”.
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The scam came to light after a BBC exposé into the practice highlighted three firms, although the CITB says that it had identified these three and others through its own security investigations prior to the broadcast.
Brandon Connelly, head of product management at CITB, told CM: “To our knowledge, these test centres are not working with any other accrediting bodies, and are no longer operating. But we are not aware of any prosecutions.
“Ideally, yes, there should be prosecutions, personally I’d like to see people brought to justice, and in the past, with a strong enough case, custodial sentences have been awarded. But for whatever reason, the Crown Prosecution Service didn’t think it served the public interest.”
Last November, the CITB identified 6,000 suspect Health, Safety and Environment tests taken at the centres. The CITB-run HS+E test is a prerequisite for holding or renewing a CSCS card.
In addition, there were also 2,000 tests of the level 1 Site Safety Plus Certificate. This test is administered by the British Safety Council, and is a requirement for the new CSCS “green” card, introduced in 2014.
The 6,033 individuals who had taken one or both tests were invited to register to retake them at no cost, but CSCS says that only 553 took up the offer. A total of 4,615 CSCS cards were issued on the basis of the suspect qualifications, and these have now been revoked.
A CSCS spokesman agreed that the number was higher than the organisation would have liked: “We would have liked to think more would have gone for registration [to re-take the tests]. It’s a reasonably high number.”
But the CITB’s Connolly said that the high number of revoked cards was evidence that its security review had been correctly targeted. “In our review, we identified the tests that seemed suspicious. The fact that a high proportion did prove to be fraudulent meant that our review had minimal impact on those who had taken the test legitimately.”
The CSCS spokesman also stressed that if a holder presents an invalid CSCS card on site, employers will only be able to tell by checking with card-reading equipment or the CSCS hotline.
“If you just look, there’s no way of telling the card’s been cancelled, to all intents and purposes, it looks genuine,” he warned.
In a press statement, Graham Wren, chief executive at CSCS, said: “We take assurance that CITB’s in-depth analysis was accurate. While we accept that some people have been inconvenienced we have kept this to a minimum and removed unsafe cards from circulation.
“We are urging employers to check the validity of all cards by either electronically reading the CSCS SmartCard or by using ‘Card Checker’ via the CSCS website, to make sure that invalid cards are not permitted on site.”
Wren added: “While the number of people suspected of fraudulent activity is relatively small, compared to the 400,000 cards issued each year, this type of behaviour has the potential to undermine legitimate employees and harm the reputation of the industry.
“It is important employers are able to trust the training and qualification providers as well as the card certification schemes carrying the CSCS logo.”
