Health and safety testing

Health and Safety Testing General

What is the health and safety test?

This is the principal means of satisfying the health and safety requirements of SKILLcard and the test is designed to give everybody working on site a minimum level of health and safety awareness.

The health and safety test takes 45 minutes and consists of 40 or 50 multiple-choice questions taken from a substantial list covering all aspects of generic health and safety in construction.

Most tests are delivered through a network of over 150 testing locations across the UK. The test centres have flexible opening times to suit most requirements. Testing is usually available six days a week including weekday mornings (8:00am to 10:00am), evenings (4:30pm to 7:30pm) and Saturday mornings (9:00am to 12noon).

How to book the test

To book the test, simply call the booking hotline on 0870 600 4020 (Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm), or Click HERE to book on-line the quick and easy way.

The booking office will require your full name, date of birth, address and National Insurance number. They will also need to know which type of test you require – see Which test should be taken? below.

The test costs £17.50. A book containing guidance on the testing process and all the questions to help you prepare can be purchased separately for £8.49, and a CD-Rom including voiceover and mock test for £10.99.

These items are available when booking the test or at any other time by calling the booking hotline. They are also available from a variety of high street and online bookshops.

Payment for the test must be made before the booking can be confirmed, and may be made over the telephone by credit or debit card. Applicants will be sent a letter confirming the category, date, time and location of their test. Bookings can be made by individuals, or block bookings can be made on behalf of a group of members of the workforce.

Which test should be taken?

This will depend on the type of card you intend to apply for and on your occupation, as follows:

What happens after the test?

If you pass the test, a certificate will be given to you at the test centre immediately after you have taken the test. Your SKILLcard will be overprinted H&S Tested in silver – thereby giving particular recognition that your health and safety knowledge has been confirmed. If you fail the test, you can re-sit it by booking again and paying the re-test fee of £17.50.

Exemptions from the test

If you have a recent NVQ/SVQ:
If you have a relevant NVQ/SVQ, and provided the qualification is less than two years old prior to the date of your application for a SKILLcard, this will satisfy the health and safety requirements of SKILLcard. This is because the NVQ/SVQ contains a health and safety module. Note, however, this exemption applies only to initial SKILLcard applications and not renewals.

If you have attended an approved health and safety course:
You can also satisfy the health and safety requirements of SKILLcard if you have undertaken accepted health and safety training, provided such training was undertaken not more than two years prior to the date of application for the SKILLcard.

The training which can be accepted for this purpose is:

for Operatives and Trainees/Apprentices only:

(a) Client Contractors National Safety Group (CCNSG) 2-day Passport to Safety course (initial registrations only – not renewals);

for Operatives and Trainees/Apprentices and/or for Supervisory and Management level cards:

(b) National Examination Board of Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) Construction Certificate (NB: not the general certificate as this is not construction oriented);

for Supervisory and Management level cards only:

(c) HVCA courses: Either Working Safely in Building Services plus Managing Safety in Building Services, or Building Services Safety Management (NB: these courses will continue to satisfy the health and safety criteria of SKILLcard until health and safety testing becomes compulsory for Supervisors and Managers – expected, provisionally, 1 November 2009;

(d) CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) course.

Note: Managing Safety in Building Services is aimed at those Supervisors and Managers who have already completed the Working Safely in Building Services course. The Building Services Safety Management course is designed for experienced Supervisors and Managers (this course involves some pre-course work and preparation).

Application of SKILLcard in the Republic of Ireland

Following discussions in Dublin with Foras Aiseanna Saothair (FAS) – the Training and Employment Authority in the Republic of Ireland – an agreement has been reached to recognise the health and safety component of SKILLcard as being equivalent to the FAS Safe Pass Programme.

Personnel bearing a SKILLcard will, therefore, be deemed to have met the health and safety training requirements of the FAS Safe Pass scheme as set out in Regulations 6, 9 and 14 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2001 and as defined in the Eighth Schedule to the Regulations.

In practical terms this means that:

(a) site personnel from the Republic of Ireland holding a valid FAS Safe Pass will be deemed to have satisfied the health and safety requirements of SKILLcard; and
(b) site personnel from the United Kingdom holding a valid SKILLcard who might be requested to work in the Republic of Ireland will not need to re-qualify separately under the FAS Safe Pass Programme to be allowed access to a site.

A copy of the signed Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of Registration Cards between FAS and SKILLcard is obtainable from Viv Shepherd at HVCA on 020-7313 4916 (employment_affairs@hvca.org.uk).

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