I have sent a question to the CSCS contact e-mail but received a generic reply which had no relationship to the question, so I'm hoping someone on the forum has greater knowledge! If a UK company employs people from Easter Europe for jobs on UK construction sites, does anyone know of a mechanism by which the migrants can obtain their CSCS card in their home country before they relocate to the UK? Lucy

Politically correct but not very helpful. I do hope that when people ask about taking their h&s skills abroad to work in Austailia/Canada/America/Spain etc you reply with the same answer - they should stay here and find work. I really do not want this to become an argument about the rights and wrongs of the situation. I just want to know if anyone has an answer to the question.

http://www.ssg.se/en/SSG...tre/SSG-Entre-in-Europe/ This is a company we have used in the past for UK and other workers.

As mentioned by alexmccreadie13 - best place is contact Construction Skills - I know when involved with the Olympic Stadium Project they sorted it, as they provided everything so that the many different people from the euro zone could complete CSCS successfully

as far as I am aware there is no way people outside the UK can obtain their CSCS card in their home country before they relocate to the UK

I have recently renewed and sat touch screen test for CSCS Managers and Professionally Qualified persons card (the Black one). In the UK this is undertaken by Pearson (Pearsonvue) at their test centres. A photograph is taken, all pockets emptied, wrist watch removed, inhalers etc taken from you, tie removed or turned inside out, wallet and keys removed etc to a keyed personal locker. The test of 50 questions was scheduled for 45 minutes. I was in and out within 15 but provided one incorrect answer (the horse riders on road one). Paperwork (pass details) were produced immediately. I cannot imagine how a CSCS Card test can be produced outside of the UK when the procedure (not the test) is so robust. Notwithstanding that I am a qualified safety bod I was obliged to sit the CSCS test just to be able to attend site . Next month I have to sit through another boring day to renew my CCNSQ card. Surely IOSH should be doing something about this absurdity. IOSH memberships/ accreditation is not recognised as passport to construction or engineering sites. Such recognition to CITB & CCNSG should be high on the list of things to do for the "new" management team at IOSH. Will it happen? I fear not! Jon

mmm... not sure how that contributes here Victor??? As I understand it CITB are a NDPB - as such they are supposed to be independent and impartial, however their commercial subsidiary company (and CSCS) is business orientated and profit making entity. Is there a representative of the Construction Group that could comment on this relationship and the risk of a commercial monopoly is being avoided? Also if IOSH are involved in any development or standards process, as we have been with the general OSH competency framework both at National and European level? At least we might be able to justify our negativity in some way if we understood more on how we are / have been involved.....