I used to labour about 8-10 years ago for a few small builders and fancied having a change and doing so again for a while but reading on line it seems you now need a cscs card now. I don’t know anyone in the building game anymore to ask.

I can’t figureout if I need to just do the cscs test or another level 1 test too. I have a level 2 c&g in electrical installation so have done all of the heath and safety modules in. Website seems to suggest that for labouring I would need another test on top of the cscs test.

Anyone have any idea?

Confused of Tunbridge wells

Check with the people who’ll be using you. I work on loads of sites for “small” builders and hardly anyone has their CSCS cards. (I do, as some sites I go to won’t allow anybody on without one.) It may be that you don’t need one right away.

If you need one, I’d just get on and do the basic one for labourers – it’s a pièce de pisse anyway and will get you onto any site.

And best of luck trying to make sense of the CSCS website. 🙂

I was thinking just do the baisc one it was figuring out if I needed anything more! I was also unsure if it has become u iversal amongst the small operators yet. When I last did any labouring it was one sgns outside big sites but had never on the small doing a roof,doing all sites I did the simp!e work on.

It’s far from universal (IME). I wish I could name and shame some of the companies (these are ones running £m+ prestigious projects, not two or three lads doing an extension or a roof) whose sites I’ve worked on in the last few years that still treat H&S as just a massive pain in the arse. No one wearing Hi-Viz, half the site walking around in trainers, no asbestos statement…I could go on.

They all have the big sign outside insisting on all the usual PPE but inside, nobody’s bloody wearing it.

Not a lot has changed then! Thanks for the info.

Most site require them, just the basic card.
Make sure you book direct & not go through a 3rd party who only book it for you and charge £40+ for the pleasure.
Lots of managers still have no idea on how to enforce rules and which to relax

The big boys require them, but many don’t. And even the ones that should, will often let people on without them as it’s more important to get the job done than worry about having inexperienced operatives on site who haven’t read anything about H&S and can consequently be a danger to themselves and those around them. It’s purely a voluntary thing and not a legal requirement.

Btw OP, as crap as the website is, booking the test is pretty painless. You can get the book of exam questions from Amazon pretty cheaply (AFAIR).

I wouldn’t bother with any revision though, it really is a piece of piss.

APF

I renewed mine recently, it’s a frigging nightmare. I took the test, which was £17.50, then I got a piece of paper telling me to go somewhere else to apply for the card – another £30. DD is right – the website is a nightmare.

If you’re thinking of labouring again then have you considered going through an agency such as ITS or someone? They would be able to assist you with getting your card, I should think. I work for a main contractor and when we need temp labour then we have a fixed list of agencies we can use. All managers and operatives on our sites must have a CSCS card.

As far as revision goes, most of the test is common sense but it’s worth doing mock questions online and brushing up on your fire extinguishers.

Cscs cards are easily had, you’ll just need (as above) the basic site skills version .
Wouldn’t be going through agency as a labourer as they pay minimum a lot of the time. I’m currently paying 10/hr for one and he gets minimum.
If you can get on with a good bricklaying gang there is very good money to be had if you can get a decent split. However to do that they’ll not have to be greedy bastards! If you can actually lay then I can assure you you will find work within days!

If you’ve a level2 in electrics surely you can get a card with that on, on that card it will state health and safety tested because you’ll just go and do the quick touch screen test.

I’ve recently gone for mine, as more places do require it.
Register on the CSCS website – I think it redirected to the CITB when clicking the test button.
Anyway, you want the basic Health Safety and Environment test.
It costs £17.50, and supposedly takes 45 minutes, though can be done in 20.
There are test centres over the Country, I’m in Leicester, local(ish) ones are Leicester, Nottingham/Northampton, so there should be one within 30 miles of you, unless you are in the Highlands.
Register, pick the course, pick the venue and date, go along, do the test, get your test results.
Ring up CSCS, pay them £30, and they’ll send a card out to you.
You wont get an electrical card unless you have an NVQ 3, or full apprenticeship paperwork.
You may get a trainee electrician card, but thats means nothing, so you may as well go for the basic Labourer card – most places are not interested in what card you have, just that you have one.

We dont let anybody work on our sites (Fuel Terminals) unless they have CSCS or CCNSG or appropriate prior to any other relevant trade qualifications being required ( this i believe is more and more common everywhere), be they builders, engineers or painters etc. We even had to do CCNSG course for the card and we are the permanent site based Operations staff. We had no issues with the course though , it was mainly just awareness, H&S etc that sort of thing. Nowt to worry about, it will save you a load os hassle in the future if you have it though.

Did a couple of practice tests and it all seemed easy as pie.

Looks like it is worth doing but to be clear for the basic card I should just be able to do the test, but maybe take along my L2 C&G stuff to show I’ve done the basic H&S modules involved in that?

No just the basic test for h and ‘s is all you need. Who are you thinking of working for?

If you havent got an Employer, then you may need some form of H&S training.
A one day course is enough to get the Certificate if you need one.

Anyone local really. Start off back at the bottom and pick up some more skills and get out of my bad habits!

IMO, you’re better off trying to find labouring work with a small to medium size builder then – design & build companies that are undertaking extensions, re-modelling, renovation of expensive houses where the client isn’t scrimping and saving every penny. You’ll get to do a lot more varied work and pick up more skills from the more experienced lads on site.

Frinstance, I’m shuttling between two mahoosive houses in Bristol at the moment, both perhaps £2m spend, £1m-ish spend on re-model, pools in the basement, VERY ( 😀 ) expensive floors etc. The work is being done by the same D&B company. The lads that labour on site aren’t just shifting rubbish around, moving boxes from one floor to another, etc. all day like you may end up doing for a big main contractor type. They’re helping build stud-walls, woodburner surrounds, restore stone-staircases, sorting pipe runs for the plumbers, etc etc. They seem to be enjoying it the work there and are all pretty sound guys.

They’re all subbies though, so, no day’s work, no pay – but there’s a certain independence that comes with that too.While you’re searching around for work, just go and do your CSCS – it’ll cost £17.50 and another £30 for the card. Knocking on doors with the card means you might get an immediate start and shows willing and initiative.

*Darcey eyes new bike on current rates*
What’s the labourers getting on that job dd? Pissed me off that the lad I’ve got only gets minimum when he’s definitely worth more than that, I may have to break protocol and pinch him off the agency!

A good lad (or lady) is worth his or her weight in gold on site wrighty. I’ve no idea what they’re getting. I’ll try and do a bit of digging next week when I’m back there. If it’s not too awkward, you might as well pinch him…if he’s punctual, hard working and interested in learning new stuff, then go for it – unless it makes his life difficult.