Unite checking system “the Gold Standard”

Industry accreditation bodies have praised the work Unite and employers are doing at Canary Wharf to tackle fake cards. 

Unite organised an event at Canary Wharf last week (Tuesday 28 August) to show the process that Canary Wharf Contractors have put in place to ensure operatives attending the projects have the correct CSCS card for their trade. 

The event also highlighted the fraudulent activities that exist in the industry, and how to detect it, showing supervisors and managers on the huge London construction site the best way to check workers’ accreditation.

Unite’s Trevor Simpson organised the event and brought in speakers from industry accreditation and training bodies to show them how Unite has been supporting Canary Wharf to ensure checks are carried out on CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) cards before induction sessions. People then had a chance to hear about the latest issues facing the industry and how it is tackling card fraud.

The morning event happened in the Wood Wharf development, which will eventually have 37 new buildings to the east of the Canary Wharf site. There are around 1,300 to 1,400 workers on site every day and all need the correct accreditation to show they have been trained, assessed and are competent to carry out their work.

Everyone attending the morning induction were asked at the site entrance for their CSCS cards, and these were then checked by Trevor in the training room. All attendees were also given a Unite membership form as part of the induction.

Trevor uses the CSCS Smart Check phone app which instantly identifies if there is a problem with the card using RFID /QR code or manual check, rather than just relying on a visual check. 

Once the session started Trevor showed the people the counterfeit cards he has “collected” over recent months.

Trevor explained that, “I have picked up 9 counterfeit or cancelled cards, and a fake driving licence. This shows construction sites just aren’t checking properly.”

“One person that we stopped coming onto the site paid £700 for the card. It was via a fraudulent centre to make it all look legit, but many buy a Labourers or Blue Card online through ads on social media.”

This can be extremely dangerous, and if an individual is not caught and stopped from entering the site it could result in an untrained person being given access to equipment that are not qualified to use.

After the induction speakers from CSCS, NOCN (National Open College Network and CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) addressed two sessions of supervisors followed by the site Health and Safety Briefing lead by Dean Whitworth, Health & Safety Manager at Canary Wharf Contractors.

This was the first time a union had organised such an event and pulled in industry accreditation bodies to speak to contractors about this issue. 

Garry Mortimer is Executive Director of Operations at CSCS and explained the types of fraud they were seeing at the moment, including qualification and “No right to work” fraud.

Garry said, “The Labourer Card is the one with the highest percentage of fraud, but we do see it in the trades as well.”

He explained how fake cards are advertised and about the SmartCheck app that can check cards in an instant. Currently it can verify all 2.1 million cards that are in circulation ensuring that workers have correct training and qualifications.

Garry also mentioned the My CSCS app which “allows card holders to manage their CSCS account online and access their virtual CSCS cards.”

Paul Taylor spoke next. Paul is Head of Card Schemes at NOCN and spoke about the issues around fake cards saying that current labour shortages are leading to shortcutting by some contractors, so “card checks are more important than ever.”

Paul gave examples of some current investigations that he is involved with, one resulting in a centre being closed down and all the cards it had issued being revoked. 

Finally Ian Sindey from the Counter Fraud Team at the CITB gave an overview of the lengths that cheats are going to to get qualifications allowing them an accredited card.

He highlighted the increasing involvement of organised crime groups in card schemes and how technology is now assisting cheating with online exams by using hidden cameras and tiny in-ear speakers. 

Ian said, “Over 30 people have been arrested recently and we really aren’t that interested in the candidates, but want to catch the people running the centres.”

These test centres don’t just provide construction qualifications, but also ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and SIA (Security Industry Accreditation) potential resulting in thousands of people cheating the system and gaining work they are not qualified to carry out. 

Trevor was very pleased with the way the sessions went, and throughout the morning speakers answered questions from the floor to clarify points..

Trevor said, “Cards are earned and give a sense of achievement for workers who have gained the skills needed to carry out their occupations and work as well as protect their trades. 

“Fake cards and qualifications obtained by cheating undermine the hard work of skilled construction workers, and endanger Unite members which is not acceptable.

“This was the first time that sessions like this have happened on a working construction site, and Unite is pleased to have been able to work with the Canary Wharf Contractors at the Wood Wharf Project and the industry accreditation bodies to make this happen.

Alan O’Neile from CSCS said, “What is happening at Wood Wharf with Unite is the Gold Standard when it comes to card checks.”

Unite and accreditation bodies at Wood Wharf – Paul Taylor (NOCN), Trevor Simpson (Unite), Garry Mortimer (CSCS), Alan O’Neile (CSCS) and Ian Sindey (CITB)

Find out more about CSCS SmartCheck on the website.

By Keith Hatch