The MCG includes most of the country's largest building contractors. Hills Electrical & Mechanical does a lot of work for these firms so I decided that all staff should gain the relevant skills cards. Among its other consequences, this meant that if I want to go on site, then I too would have to get one of these cards.
To get a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) or equivalent authority must be satisfied that you are technically competent and have an "appropriate" knowledge of health and safety. For the electrical and hvac industries, the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) and SKILLcard respectively provide equivalent qualification.
The card I wanted was for management. The CITB was prepared to accept that I was technically competent since I was already doing the job, but I would have to take the health and safety test like everyone else. We filled in the paperwork, sent off a cheque and back came the date for the test. A book came as well, giving all of the possible multiple-choice questions, some 500 in all. As in the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, this book becomes so important that you have to call it "The Book".
The Book explained that I would have to answer 40 of the 500 questions at a local driving licence testing centre on a touch computer screen. It did not explain what the pass mark was, and to this day this appears to be a state secret.
The Book was not quite up to Douglas Adams' standard for drama, and the plot was non-existent. However the authors clearly had a sense of humour when compiling some of the questions, as the following examples show:
Q - Where would you go in the event of a fire?
a) to the canteen for a cup of tea;
b) to the fire assembly point;
c) to the site hut;
d) to the fire to see what is going on.
Q - What sensible action can you take to help prevent hazardous chemicals entering your body by mouth?
a) wash your hands before eating;
b) keep your gloves on while working;
c) keep your mouth closed;
d) hold your breath if possible.
I hope that the CSCS initiative succeeds in improving the appalling health and safety record that most of construction lives with
Q - You have witnessed a serious accident on your site and are to be interviewed by an HSE inspector. Should you:
a) ask your supervisor what you should say to the inspector;
b) co-operate fully with the inspector and tell them exactly what you saw;
c) tell the inspector what your mates say you should tell them;
d) don't tell them anything.
I have to say though, the overall standard of the questions seemed completely appropriate. I came away from reading and rereading The Book with a great admiration for whoever had spent many hours compiling the questions.
Eventually the morning of the test drew round and I drove to Sutton Coldfield. Finding the testing centre was the first real hurdle. I know Sutton well but had never spotted anything that looked remotely like a driving licence testing centre. Eventually I found a little plaque on a wall and an intercom to gain entry.
I pushed the intercom button and the door swung mysteriously open. I followed the arrows on some photocopied sheets up some stairs before entering an austere room with some seats and a hatch. A voice from the hatch said "sit there". So I did. There were about another four or five people sitting there, dutifully, as well. The hatch asked me: "Can I have your ID please?" I handed my passport over and the hatch accepted it. More silence followed. The hatch then called me into the next room, where I was asked to sit down to have the procedure explained to me.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then proceed to screen three." I proceeded to screen three.
"Do you want a practice session?" the screen asked.
"No," I selected from the options on offer.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"If you are really certain then the test will begin. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Surreal music should now have played, but it didn't. The first question popped up in red and went to black. "Select your answer."
The clock was counting down. I had 45 minutes. The deep sighs and breaths from around the room indicated that the driving licence tests, which everyone else was taking, were tough. I pressed the screen and we were off. Now 40 questions doesn't take very long and seven minutes later I was done.
I left the room and was invited to take the seat that I'd left seven minutes previously. Around 45 seconds later I was handed the paper that said I'd passed. Bit of a damp squib really, but I was sure of two things: c you will not pass unless you work at The Book; c the whole exercise is an excellent way to focus hearts and minds on health and safety.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
Postscript
David Hill is managing director of Hills Electrical & Mechanical.
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