The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has developed a ‘Smart Check’ app to boost competence and fight fraud by helping construction site operatives to verify identities and qualifications
The new ‘Smart Check’ app went live on 1 April and is available to download for free on any Apple iOS or Android device. Developed in collaboration with 38 CSCS partner card operators and the Engineering Services SKILLcard, it is used by more than 60,000 building services professionals.
The Smart Check app will help construction site operators operators verify the identities and qualifications of more than two million skills card holders. The new technology is compatible with all cards that display the CSCS logo.
The Smart Check app gives those checking on-site cards access to a quick and secure system of confirming the appropriate qualifications and training of everyone on site. According to SKILLcard this will not only reduce criminal activity, but also help to raise technical and professional standards on site.
The Smart Check app can read all 38 card schemes that carry the CSCS logo. It can scan QR codes to validate both physical and virtual cards and can also read contactless chips.
The Smart Check app will improve on site procedures
The innovative app technology has been designed to streamline the industry’s current procedures for card checking. It also serves as another blow to fraudsters who try to ‘game’ the system by selling counterfeit CSCS cards and falsifying qualifications.
CSCS cards are crucial in improving competence and compliance on construction sites by ensuring that all workers are knowledgeable on the latest health and safety training. They also make sure that workers have the correct qualifications and relevant training for the job. The system is considered a key element of the government’s 2025 Construction Industry Strategy and most clients now insist on every worker holding a valid card.
Last year Engineering Services SKILLcard, operated by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), celebrated its 20th anniversary. It is carried by more than 60,000 heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration professionals as proof of their qualifications and competencies.
Engineering Services SKILLcard was the first CSCS partner card to adopt chip enabled ‘smart’ technology in 2015 which has helped simplify the process of updating the holder’s qualifications. Furthermore, it has eased the verification process for site managers.
‘This app is the crucial next stage in developing a fully ‘smart’ system’
BESA’s director of certification Rachel Davidson commented:
“This app is the crucial next stage in developing a fully ‘smart’ system that will further enhance our efforts to improve professional standards, keep people safe on site and fight fraud,”
“It is a great example of what our industry can achieve by working together. All 38 card schemes now have a common platform that links directly to our databases to help clients ensure anyone trying to get onto their site has kept up to date with the latest requirements for health, safety and technical qualifications.”
