Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has voiced its support for the CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) Alliance, and in so doing, reiterated its firm support for the continued demonstration of competence across the construction industry.
The Tamworth-based trade association launched its government-approved CSCS card partner scheme in collaboration with the Automatic Door Suppliers Association (ADSA) at the end of 2019, with the card provision for those working with industrial doors, domestic garage doors, automated gates & traffic barriers and metal or timber doors. With each card specific to the requirement, they provide proof that individuals working on construction sites have the appropriate training and qualifications for the job that they are doing.
Today, most people in construction are familiar with the CSCS card, which can be issued either physically or digitally, but less so with the CSCS Alliance, an organisation comprising 38 different organisations representing not just the traditional construction trades but the many specialist occupations across the built environment. The 38 card schemes have come together under the banner of the CSCS Alliance to deliver to a single, common standard under a CSCS licence.
In April this year, working with the Construction Leadership Council, the Alliance launched the CSCS Smart Check app which has significantly improved the construction industry’s card checking procedures and site safety, and for the first time, all 2.1 million cards displaying the CSCS logo can be verified using a single app. It also forms part of the industry’s response to the findings of the Dame Judith Hackitt Review and ensures people are suitably qualified, trained and experienced for the role they are doing on site. Most importantly, the information held by the cards can be accessed by sites to improve building quality and safety.”
“DHF remains a passionate advocate for competence industry-wide and the recently issued White Paper from the CPA on Construction Product Competence highlights the general duty for competence in the construction industry,” explains DHF’s Head of Commercial Operations, Patricia Sowsbery-Stevens. “The Blue Skilled Worker card shows which endorsement relates to the relevant NVQ that each card holder has, and therefore evidences the competence of the worker in that specialist area. As a partner scheme provision offering cards for our industry only, DHF insists that the individual not only holds the relevant NVQ (a vocational qualification that assesses the learner over a period of time to ensure that they have the right vocational experience and can do the job) but has also completed DHF training as a form of CPD that further demonstrates the competency of that individual.
“We are delighted to form part of the CSCS Alliance which exists to act as a collective voice and advisor on matters relating to personnel registration and the verification of skills, training, and qualifications, as well as promoting greater collaboration, improved visibility and the sharing of best practice. DHF has always, and continues to, drive standards in ensuring that construction site workers are appropriately trained. CSCS cards reassure the industry, and Site Managers, that the person working is qualified in their field.”
