The Company is committed to ensuring that all personnel are competent to discharge their duties safely, legally, and effectively. Competence within the organisation is defined in accordance with BS 8670-1:2024 as the appropriate integration of:

• S – Skills

• K – Knowledge

• E – Experience

• B – Behaviours

The Company recognises that competence is not solely demonstrated through possession of qualifications or cards, but through the consistent application of SKEB in live operational environments. This policy applies to Directors, Senior leadership, Project and Contracts Managers, Site Managers, Supervisors, Engineers and site Operatives

Where acting as Principal Contractor, this policy forms part of the organisational competence framework required under the Building Safety Act.

Definition of Competence (SKEB Framework)

Behaviour is monitored through:

• Site inspections

• Behavioural observations - Non-conformance warning reports

• Performance reviews

• Incident investigation outcomes

Failure to demonstrate required behavioural standards may result in removal from role or increased supervision.

The Company will endeavour to recruit individuals who already meet required competency levels.

Site Operatives Minimum Requirement:

• Valid CSCS/CPCS/NPORS CSCS affiliated card appropriate to role

   

No individual will undertake unsupervised work beyond their competence level.

Competence Assessment Process

Competence will be assessed through:

• Verification of certification and training at site induction

• Review of relevant experience at site induction

• Supervisor sign-off

• Performance monitoring - including Non-conformance warnings

• Ongoing review during audits and inspections

Management roles require documented annual competence review including in one-to-one process. Principal Contractor roles may require project-specific competence validation.

The above table details each role and what training Coinford requires that level to hold. All training in bold text is mandatory training for that role. All other training to specific to each individual and what tasks they will be completing on site.

Competency assessment 

Where an operative attends a site induction and does not hold one of the accepted CSCS card for the role detailed in the table above, a point of work competency assessment can be completed by the site manager. This document will detail the assessment completed, including direct observations of the operative completing the required task, and will detail the process required to train or transition the operative onto the mandatory accepted CSCS card for their role. Sites have up to 48 hours to completed and return the competency assessment.

The Competency assessment form is to be downloaded from the hub by the site manager of the project, completed and returned to H&S department and labour department. 

The form can be found in CONTROLLED DOCUMENTS/Health and Safety

Physical CSCS card checks

During a Site induction the operatives CSCS/CPCS card must be checked, photocopied and attached the site induction form. The following details the procedure to take if the operative does not have his physical card on them at the point of induction.

Lost cards

If an operative has lost or misplaced their CSCS card, you can use the MyCSCS or CSCS Smart Check app to verify they hold a valid card. If using the app, a screengrab or photo of the check must be printed and attached to the site induction form. The operative will be given 4 weeks to apply for a new replacement physical card.

We urge everyone to hold a physical card and not rely on the CSCS apps. This is because several of our clients have policies that require the card to always be on the person.

No previous CSCS card

If an operative has not previously held a CSCS card and is applying for a CSCS card for the first time, the minimum standards required for entry onto site are:

• Evidence of CITB H&S touch screen test pass certificate.

• Attendance of level 1 Construction H&S course.

• Evidence of application for a CSCS card.

If all 3 are available, the operative can be inducted, and a 28-day reminder will be set up on TMS to check the operative has received their card. Failure to produce a card after 28 days could result in removal from site.

NPORS (CSCS affiliated) 

NPORS cards accepted must be the CSCS ‘affiliated’ version, not the old traditional NPORS card. This is very easy to identify, as the ‘affiliated’ card displays the CSCS logo on the front. The card must be presented in person during the site induction, and a copy of both sides of the card must be attached to the site induction form. Photos or photocopies of CSCS cards must not be accepted.

Lost cards

If an operative has lost or misplaced their NPORS card, you can use the CSCS Smart Check app or the official NPORS Online Card Checker website to verify they hold a valid card. A screengrab or photo of the check must be printed and attached to the site induction form. The operative will be given 4 weeks to apply for a new replacement physical card. We urge everyone to hold a physical card and not rely on the online apps. This is because several of our clients have policies which require the card to always be on the person.

No previous NPORS card

We do not allow any person to operate plant until they produce evidence of valid training. If in any doubt about the above, please call the H&S department for further guidance.

Who requires a CSCS card?

Not every role on site requires an operative to hold a CSCS card; some roles have a card scheme affiliated with CSCS.

Plant Operators

For roles whose job title is Excavator Operator/ADT Operator, etc, and whose primarily role is to operate a piece of plant, these roles only require a valid CPCS or NPORS card for the category of plant being operated. No CSCS card is required.

Groundworkers

Groundworkers who will also be operating plant require a CSCS card to demonstrate competence as a Groundworker and a CPCS or NPORS card for the items of plant they operate.

Refresher & expiring training

The Company will monitor and refresh automatically the following training:

• CPCS / NPORS / CSCS cards

• SMSTS / SSSTS

• First Aid training

• Temporary Works Coordinator / Temporary Work Supervisor

Monthly reports issued to all sites detail all trained held and highlights training approaching expiry 3 months ahead of expiry. For all other training other than the list detailed above, the site must review and submit Training request form to book the renewal of all other training.

Booking Training

The previous method to request training was to email Training@coinford.co.uk. This process has now been updated to reduce administration and email ping/pong to obtain the correct details.

When training is required - the following process must be completed:

• Download the Training request form from the hub in CONTROLLED DOCUMENTS/Training/Training Request form

• Complete the table for the operatives training.

• Email the completed form to Training@coinford.co.uk

The training can then be arranged with all the required information already being received. Calendar invites will be issued detailing the time and day the training has been booked. Any last minute cancellation causes disruption to the training process and waste resources - any last minute training cancellations need to be approved by Panos Panayiotou.