The Importance of Only Hiring Accredited Workers on Your Construction Site

Ensuring each person entering your site has the correct accreditations and authorisation to be there is essential for many reasons. Not only does it reduce the possibility of a crime taking place, but it also means that those working on site are aware of health and safety standards and how to mitigate the risks. Additionally, the project will always be more efficient in the hands of competent people.

Here, we discuss why it is important to only hire accredited workers on the job site.

Health and safety

The construction industry is one of the most hazard-prone, with a significant number of accidents taking place each year. Reputable employers should, therefore, seek to reduce risks and only employ individuals who are qualified, with an understanding of health and safety best practices so as to avoid harm to themselves and other workers.

The most common form of identification for construction site workers is the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card. While not yet a legal requirement for construction work, its use is widespread within the industry, which means that most employers will ask for proof of the license when recruiting people to work on-site.

In order to be issued with a CSCS card, a person must pass a mandatory health and safety test, which certifies that they have the necessary understanding of how to safely operate on-site. Since the CSCS scheme was introduced in 1995, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of construction site fatalities, demonstrating how successful it has been in averting health and safety risks.

Crime prevention

Every year, the UK construction industry loses around £800m due to common crime. A crime not only causes a financial burden, but it can also lead to delays in the construction project, as well as increasing insurance premiums and the need to replace or fix goods.

Hiring accredited workers on your construction site dramatically reduces the likelihood of a crime taking place, as people are held accountable for their actions and tend to act accordingly. With legitimate ID systems in place, such as the CSCS Smartcard, a worker’s details are available within a central database, allowing employers to access their personal information quickly.

Having access control systems fitted guarantees that only authorised people can gain entry to the job site, helping to reduce the chances of theft, vandalism, trespassing and arson. Such systems only allow entry to those with the correct method of identification – either via fingerprint ID or a valid, up-to-date CSCS Smartcard, which certifies that they are qualified to carry out their job.

When using CSCS cards with access systems, those with fake or expired cards are not permitted entry, automatically locking out any person who attempts to enter using one. It is easy to see how having this type of modern technology in place can prevent crime, since only legitimate people who intend to carry out their jobs can get onto the construction site.

Likewise, the use of technology makes it much simpler to detect fake cards, reducing the number of individuals working fraudulently on construction sites and therefore minimising health and safety threats, crime and other potential problems.

Project success

When employees hold the correct accreditations and training, it demonstrates that they have acquired satisfactory knowledge to carry out their job, as well as understanding what makes a healthy and safe working environment; all of which contributes to the overall success of a project.

It isn’t difficult to predict what could happen if unqualified and unskilled workers were working on a construction site. Accidents and crime aside, it is more than likely that the project would run less efficiently too. Having the right workers in the right positions saves you time and money, which is especially important in an industry like construction, where keeping costs down is extremely important.

Moreover, hiring skilled people and carrying out regular checks instills trust in your business, proving to clients that the people you hire are competent and that you, as an employer, take credentials seriously, rather than simply granting site access to anyone.