Posted By Peter Rees Sorry for resurrecting this thread again, but I need a really good rant at a system that is blinkered, ignorant and is licence to print money. Basically, I need to hold a relevant CSCS card to enable myself to gain access to client construction sites. The best one for me is H&S Manager. I'm CMIOSH (having been RSP for over 4 years); hold a Masters Degree qualification from a recognised UK university and have demonstrable experience in the H&S field for almost 10 years. Here's the crux of the matter - CSCS won't recognise IOSH nor any of the above and require me to obtain an NVQ level 4 or 5 (at a cost of approx £1500 plus time etc) before issuing a card to me. Is this plain ridiculous, or what?! Has anyone else been in the same position - if so, what have you done to get around the problem? I've been told that to make a formal complaint about the CSCS system I need to put my concerns in writing to:- Gordon Jenkins Head of Product. CSCS, PO Box 114. Bircham Newton. Kings Lynn. Norfolk. PE31 6XD Please join me in complaining about this - the more people who raise the problem to CSCS will help to change things.

Posted By Ciaran McAleenan Peter Who says you need to hold a CSCS card and what authority do they have? What relationship do you have with the Client? It seems to me that your complaint rests with whoever is preventing your access to the site. Problems like this will always arise when qualifications and competence get mixed up, whether it is CSCS to get onto a site or CMIOSH to apply for a job. Competence is an output and qualifications are one of many inputs on route to demonstrating that you can deliver a competent output. More could be achieved to resolve these matters if those with control and influence tackled the more fundamental that your circumstance highlights. Good luck Ciaran

Posted By Philip McAleenan Peter, Your employer is required to ensure that you and all his other employees are competent before assigning you to your work tasks. Clients are required to ensure that the contractors they appoint are competent (which by extension includes all those who are assigned by the contractor to work on the contract). Once the client appoints the contractor they have accepted their competence (unless they have made qualifications which the contractor in turn has accepted) to work on the site. The principal contractor makes the arrangements to ensure that it is authorised persons who enter the site. In the first of the above instances an authorisation card from your employer should suffice. In that latter, if your employer accepts the need for you and others to have a CSCS (or any other type of competence evidence) then he should arrange and pay for you to obtain it and then provide you with the appropriate authorisation for the principal contractor. The problem is for your employer to deal with, not you. Let them raise the matter with their client. Philip

Posted By Alan Woodage PS Just get a visitors card, as I work for the top ten contractors and clients including the MCG and have never been asked to show my card, just quote my registration number. You are proffesionally qualified so therefore you are a visitor to the site to carry out your proffesional duty, it would make an interesting test case for an employment tribunal.

Posted By Jim Walker Can I suggest a novel solution? IOSH introduce a membership card with photo ID. Slowly then we would have our own equivalent. To be honest with you where you to turn up on a site run by me how could i confirm you are who you say you are even if you carried round you MSc & IOSH card. If you had an IOSH photo ID card it would save me the hassle of confirming your credentials Incidentally, I got my CSCS platinum no trouble. Was peeved I had to take the safety touch screen but otherwise no problems