The Construction Industry Council is set to launch a skills certificate scheme for consultants to improve safety standards.
CIC chief executive Graham Watts announced the decision to introduce the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card last week at the launch of the Health and Safety Executive's industry discussion document.

The card will be distributed to middle-management professionals who comply with stringent health and safety tests.

Watts said an agreement had been reached over the introduction of the card with professional institution members of the CIC such as the RIBA, the Chartered Institute of Building and the Institute of Civil Engineers.

Watts said: "We are convinced it is the right thing to do, and have been in preliminary discussions with people from the CSCS scheme."

He added that a working group, including professional institutions such as the RIBA and the CIOB, had been set up to develop advanced health and safety tests for would-be holders of the certificate.

He said the card, which has received support from the HSE, would be called a "consultant's visiting card", or something similar.