Everyone working on a Bovis Lend Lease site in the UK must now hold a valid CSCS card or equivalent, and the contractor has thrown down the gauntlet to other major contractors to follow suit.

A Bovis spokesman said workers were refused entry on only two sites after the rules came into force on 1 March. Disruption was kept to a minimum because contractor had given as much as six months’ advance warning down the supply chain, the spokesman said.

“We want to keep driving up the standards in our industry,” said Jason Millett, managing director of Bovis Lend Lease in the UK. “If other contractors follow our lead, together we can make the CSCS card a passport to better training, higher quality and greater safety.

Those working on Bovis sites will be required to provide details of their skills card on their security pass application form and present the card at their site induction before starting work.

There will be some concessions. Where a trade or skill is not recognised by the Major Contractors Group, a letter of exemption must be obtained from CSCS and the person must have attended and passed the CITB safety test.

If an overseas contractor is used on a project, the company’s skills record will be checked by Bovis Lend Lease’s safety department prior to appointment.

Source

Construction Manager