In New York, five construction workers were arrested for allegedly possessing fake OSHA certification cards, with another 19 workers being removed from construction sites because they had no qualification card at all, according to the New York Daily News. These incidents highlight the necessity for the possession of a valid qualification card, and the consequences when workers fail to comply with the law. Qualification cards have long been a staple of contract workers, even at times becoming embroiled in controversy. Yet they remain proof that contract workers have been adequately trained in specialized topics as well as health and safety protocols, and can apply that knowledge when working on site or plant. Qualification cards are specific to contractors across a number of fields, such as manufacturing, mining, oil and gas and, of course, the construction sector, with the nature of these cards changing depending on the type of work and industry. It’s very easy to forget that these cards need to be checked to ensure they are in date. Let’s take a look at potential consequences of expired qualification cards, and how you can track them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
Typical Scenario
Construction, manufacturing and mining sites across the world have thousands of contract workers coming and going at any one time. From specialized skill cards to Health & Safety cards, the type of training should depend on the industry and associated hazards. When a contract worker enters your site initially, that’s the time to make sure all of their qualification cards are sufficient and in date. However, what often happens is that cards aren’t checked throughout the year, meaning you’ll be left with a non-compliant worker roaming around your site. This situation jeopardizes both the safety of your worker and your organization as a whole.
The Risks
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were nearly 800 contract worker deaths in 2014. Workers whose safety training is out of date are less likely to behave as safe on site as those who have in date training. It should be noted, that contract workers can gain a considerable amount of knowledge from gaining a qualification card. For instance, contract workers will be able to identify major fall hazards, struck-by hazards, types of electrocution hazards, and find out the risks associated with working on a construction, manufacturing, or mining site thanks to an OSHA certification showing completion of 10-hour training classes. With this in mind, you should also be thinking about the irreparable reputational damage if an accident was to happen, and the lingering effect that would have on the family of your contract worker. Therefore, regular spot checks need to happen on a regular basis, and should not be ignored, as doing so will only increase the risks to your contract worker. In the UK, it’s estimated that one in five of those responsible for checking qualification cards on construction sites have witnessed fake cards in the past year, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) in a collaborative effort to shed light on the issue. Despite that worrying number, the research says that 86% of cardholders had their cards checked while 43% were checked to see if “they were actually qualified to do the job”. On the back of the study, the Chief Executive of CSCS, Graham Wren, highlighted the importance of carrying out sufficient “card checks” before a contract worker enters your site and said it’s extremely important that employers, in particular, ensure all contract workers “have the correct qualifications” during the course of their work on your site. In the US, it’s estimated that more than 20 workers with allegedly bogus OSHA certification cards have been reprimanded by New York City officials, according to the New York Daily News. According to the report, up to 19 workers were “pulled off” a worksite due to not having a card at all.
What Happens if a worker has an accident and you discover that their Osha Certification or other relevant qualification card is out of date?
If one of your contract workers has an accident on site, and they are without an in-date qualification card, you could be viewed as non-compliant and therefore liable to a legal suit. OSHA research suggests that workplace illness and injuries cost companies $60 billion a year, a substantial financial hit- not including the mental and physical costs to your workers. Qualification cards are an important way to stem the financial cost of an injury, and also ensure that your contract workers were fully complicant prior to the accident. Increasingly, the city of New York authorities are forcefully removing workers and placing them in jail for working on construction sites without proper qualification cards.
Different Cards, For Different Jobs
Every country has different requirements in terms of qualification passes. In the UK instance, qualification cards are distributed on the basis of a contract worker’s qualifications and if they are a member of a professional body, according to the Construction Skills and Certificate Scheme (CSCS) official website. Although it should be noted, a majority of these CSCS cards are applicable only to the construction sector, they do cover a wide variety of skilled jobs within that sector. These cards include the following some of the following, please note that these are just a snapshot of some of the most relevant cards according to the CSCS website.
The UK
Labourer Card
In order to obtain this card, your contract worker needs to have achieved the QCF Level One or SCQF Level 4 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, according to CSCS. Additionally, they can also gain this card if they have gained a health and safety course certificate.
Apprentice Card
This card is only really applicable to contract workers who are starting out and registered on the “recognised apprenticeship framework.” The card only lasts for 4 years, at that point, it’s important to seek the relevant CSCS card depending on an individual’s background.
Skilled Worker Card
In order to achieve this card, contract workers must meet some strict conditions laid out by CSCS. These conditions include the completion of a construction related NVQ or SVQ Level 2. Your contract worker will also be able to gain this card if they have completed an “employer-sponsored apprenticeship” which “included the achievement of a City and Guilds”.
Advanced Craft Card
This type of card is only really applicable if your contract worker has been intricately involved in construction for a number of years and has achieved a construction related NVQ or SVQ Level 3, or has “completed an approved indentured apprenticeship” or has “completed an employer-sponsored apprenticeship.”
The US – OSHA Certification
However for contract workers in the US, OSHA certification cards are a staple of many industries and usually come in many different forms. For the purposes of this piece, and with the thanks of the OSHA website, we have detailed below the different type of cards available and what you have to do to attain them
OSHA 30-Hour Construction Card
The 30-hour construction card is applicable to any contract worker who attends OSHA’s 30-hour health and safety training course. This course is “intended for supervisors” or for “workers with some safety responsibility,” according to the agency. The course is structured to provide in-depth information regarding a variety of training applicable to the construction industry.
OSHA 10-Hour Card
OSHA’s 10-hour card is received after the completion of one of the agency’s 10-hour courses, which are intended for new contract or entry-level workers. The courses provide some basic information, like information on worker’s rights, the responsibilities of the employer, and basic information pertaining to preventing workplace hazards.
Trainer Card
It’s very important to understand the nature of training cards. These cards give the authority to teach the above courses and receive OSHA certification of completion cards. According to OSHA, workers become authorized by “meeting training and industry safety experience requirements.” According to OSHA, trainers will be given the opportunity to pick both “mandatory topics” and “flexible topical requirements” depending on what industry they wish to speak to.
General Industry Card
The general industry card allows contract workers and employers to gain training in the prevention of health and safety hazards and similar risks associated with general industries like manufacturing for instance. According to the agency, the course to attain this card is very much voluntary, meaning it is not included in any OSHA certification standard requirements. However, it still may be a requirement depending on your field and many States may have these cards as a requirement before work can commence. According to OSHA, contract workers have the option to attend a 10-hour or a 30-hour class, which is generally delivered by a certified OSHA trainer.
Maritime Trainer Card
The Maritime trainer card is used specifically for the maritime industry and provides workers with some basic information regarding health and safety hazards and worker rights. Just like the above program, this type of training is very much voluntary and does “not meet the training requirements of any OSHA standards,” according to the agency. Just like the previous programs, contract workers can attain this card by attending either a 30-hour class, for workers with safety responsibility or a 10-hour class, for entry level workers.
Around the Globe
It’s also worth mentioning that several other countries require qualification cards across many industries. Therefore, whether it’s a plant or a construction site, you need to ensure your contract workers are fully compliant before entering your site.
Ireland
In Ireland for instance, the construction industry, in particular, requires that all contract workers get what is called a Safe Pass. The pass can be obtained by participating in the Solas Safe Pass and Health and Safety Awareness Training Programme. The aim of the program, according to Solas, is to ensure all workers within that industry have a “basic knowledge” of health and safety protocols. Irish law states that contract workers within the construction industry must hold a safe pass to operate safely within this industry.
Canada
In Canada, workers are required by law to take a safety awareness training program that will cover a wide range of issues such as potential workplace hazards and worker rights under OSHA (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety), according to the Ministry of Labor in Ontario. In Canada, it doesn’t matter what industry you work in, obtaining the relevant training is pivotal to starting work on a construction site, in a mine, or in a plant. The law states that employers have a duty to verify the appropriate documentation, if for instance a contract worker changes their job, and stipulates that the program should be “completed before a worker is exposed to workplace hazards.”
Australia
White Cards are the industry staple in Australia, becoming a necessity for any contract worker in the industry. Furthermore, these cards, formally known as blue cards, are proof that workers have been provided with both “basic knowledge of construction work” and the associated health and safety laws, according to the Safe Work Australia website. The white card will also work within both the mining and manufacturing industries.
How to Track the Expiry of Cards
Therefore, it’s important to have a procedure in place so your contract workers’ OSHA certification, or your country’s equivalent, cards are in date and not within reach of their expiry date. Below we have listed a few tips, keep in mind, these are merely just pointers, which may change depending on your project’s requirements.
- Be sure to conduct random spot checks.
- Check a contract worker’s qualification card before they start on day one.
- Check the type of training and ensure it’s applicable for your site.
- Do not allow a worker on site if you believe their card is closing in on expiry.
- Increasingly, however, technology is being utilized to ensure the validity of qualification cards, which stands as a reliable and trustworthy companion to the personal approach.
How GoContractor Can Help
With GoContractor’s mandatory document upload option and document tracking, companies can ask workers to take a picture of their qualification card and enter the expiry date as a part of the registration process. When the card (e.g. OSHA certification) is due to expire, an automatic email will be sent to the worker asking them to upload their latest version. A copy of this email will also be sent to the relevant supervisor, ensuring you can track the expiry of qualification cards continuously.
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