Mornign all,

Ive just had an email through from a Client stipulating we are all trained up in this by Jan 2015. Have I been hiding in the dark the last few months, as I am unaware of this.

My lovely google search has throw up the CITB page regarding the training, which I have now printed off to review.

My query is, it states on CITB that you will be given GE700 section E environmental, and a 25 question test. But all our guys are SMSTS/ SSSTS already where this was covered, perhaps granted not in such detail, but is this just another money making racket?

Thoughts?

When will some one (IOSH? you would have thought) make representations to the Government concerning this situation.

Money spinners are one thing, blatant theft (what else can you call it?) under the guise of health and safety is another.

Something should be done about these sharks - not soon - NOW!

Lawlee45239, you make a valid point with regards to the SSIP accreditations. Absolutely pointless, the whole lot of them. I blame the HSE for allowing these to exist in the first place. I joined the Health and Safety profession to make a difference, to change attitudes and behaviour and ultimately assist people in coming to work and going home in one piece. However, I ask the question how you can achieve this when you are stuck behind a desk completing pointless questionnaire after questionnaire, construction phase plan after construction phase plan, civil claim defence after civil claim defence. I know that there will be smart Alec's who say the H&S people shouldn't be doing construction phase plans (Site Manager should), but I would say get real and live in the real world. Non national construction companies do not have the resources and the reality is the Safety person becomes the admin clerk.

As far as I am concerned, the HSE need to change the way the industry works and start by actual removing the pointless bureaucratic nonesense! Ask yourself honestly what good does a construction phase plan do when nobody other than the CDM-C reads it? I know I'm already going to get people stating that this opinion is worng, but again, live in the real world.

Health and Safety people don't change anything anymore, it's actually quite telling when your liked in the company! Shows you really don't make any difference.

Rant over, I'll keep aplplying for the job of collecting trolleys in supermarkets. And before people say that we are making progress with less accidents etc, think about this, we have mechanised so much and restricted people's actions through rules that we have become a industry that dictates to others. Communism in its work related form.

I have informed the QS on that particular job of the cost, and in turn the financial director, to which I got a reply of 'it has to be done to get the work', becuase we are being backed into it.

I dont like this one bit. The Clients are the Gods and order what they want when they see fit.

Chrisp1978 I blame ourselves the H&S fools who actually fall in line and do all these silly pieces of paper so that a claim doesnt bring them blame or because a signature = money to them.

Thank god its Friday.

Cherchez the CDMC who is probably trying to create ongoing work after April 2015.

These requirements are an absolute pain and always smack of that disease in the construction sector that doing a certain course guarantees the appropriate outcome. The moment I see a supposedly gold standard course being classed AWARENESS I know that some group of nonentities has been making a decision and think they know what they are doing. Regardless of the fact that I believe any training classed as awareness is next to useless in practical terms - it certainly is in the context of a working site. The training required needs to be solidly based on the actual needs of the site and no amount of general awareness can change that fact. For instance there is no point in describing the need waste segregation without the concrete system for the site being described etc etc etc.

But Clients hold the gold and so they set the rules. If the matter is not in the contract then Steve is spot on - cost it up and as a matter of courtesy inform the client of the extra costs to be incurred. If it was in the tender and not priced then blame the QS and estimators for their failure:-)

This was just sprung on me last week, out of the blue, and not incl in the tender stage, (for which I do not care about really), but the QSs will start shouting, and call it health and safety, and further giving us a bad name.

Something drastic needs to be done with all the different PQQs and training courses, dont get me wrong I am willing to do ONE PPQ that will suit all, and I love training if it is training not awareness as boblewis mentioned.

And dont get me started on the CSCS scheme, as I feel that is another money racket

Hear hear! Well said Bob. We need a 'like' button in here.