A new policy is being introduced in Scotland for the assessment of skills, competence and safety standards on construction sites in Scotland, whereby all companies engaged in new public sector construction contracts must ensure that on-site staff are registered with the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) or an equivalent.
The Scottish government writes:
The Scottish Building Federation had asked the Scottish Government to introduce the new policy.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:?’Scotland’s public sector spends over £2 billion per annum on construction related contracts.? We are happy to implement the Scottish Building Federation’s proposal to introduce this policy.? Adopting schemes like CSCS can make a significant difference to efficient working and health and safety on construction sites.? This is particularly important given the significant challenges the construction industry faces in the current economic climate. I would urge other parts of the public sector to adopt the same policy. In spite of Westminster’s significant cuts to our capital budget, we are working flat out to maximise investment in infrastructure projects and to improve the way the procurement system operates.’
Michael Levack, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Federation said:? ‘I’m delighted to see the Scottish Government putting its weight behind formal accreditation of skills amongst construction workers. This is an important step in a continued drive to ensure everyone working in the Scottish construction industry is properly qualified and accredited. We welcome all efforts the Scottish Government can make to support firms with getting their workforce signed up to recognised schemes. Through its Major Contractors group, the Scottish Building Federation looks forward to working with Nicola Sturgeon on other similar initiatives to drive continued improvements in health and safety in the construction sector.’
Graham Wren, Chief Executive of Construction Skills Certification Scheme said: ‘We welcome this announcement by the Scottish Government. By recognising CSCS as the pre-eminent card scheme for the Scottish construction industry they have taken another step forward in ensuring workers hold the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their work competently and safely.’
Alan Watt, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association Scotland said: ‘CECA has strongly supported the principle of a fully carded workforce for many years and has set itself improvement targets through annual audits. At present well over 80% of the CECA workforce across Scotland hold CSCS or equivalent cards and these cards are now required on most major civil engineering sites across Scotland. This has delivered huge benefits in terms of promoting skills and a basic level of health and safety knowledge. We are therefore right behind the Scottish Government’s decision to make CSCS or equivalent cards mandatory on public sector construction projects.’
Robin Crawford, who chairs the review Procurement in Construction, said:? ‘Ensuring that those employed on public sector construction contracts are working in a safe environment and have up-to-date skills is hugely important’.
A review of Procurement in Construction was launched by the Scottish Government in October, 2012
Scottish Government News: LINK
