If you are still not sure what I am on about, let's start at the beginning. Some years ago there was a contract put out for a huge construction of some sort – like a motorway or a bridge. The contract was for many millions of pounds and competition was fierce. Anyway, to cut a long story short, the bridge / motorway was built, and, as was usual on these jobs the whole thing went over budget and the final cost of the project was god knows how many millions plus a few more millions – and three dead bodies. These were building workers "killed in action" for some reason or other.
Preventing legal deadlocks
Needless to say there was the usual hue and cry, with the politicians and government planners all pointing the finger at each other over the cost, trying to make political mileage out of the issue and the insurance companies and the builders deadlocked in a legal battle over compensation for families of the deceased.
Some time afterwards, when the dust had settled, experts gathered for a de-briefing and fact finding mission. A load of questions were asked, like "How could we have avoided this fiasco in the first place"?
The "experts" came up with the answer that we with our hands on the tools have known for many years – If all the workers are competent and well trained in their own particular trade, and reasonably well trained in health and safety, and the management is reasonably well organised and on top of the job, then things get done right first time in safety, and, hopefully, no one gets hurt or injured. Even better is the fact that the job gets completed on time so we don't have the wrangling about extra money for "unforeseen" difficulties that occurred on the job.
Brilliant – even the lowliest hod-carrier could have told them that. Unfortunately we have a long history of those who manage the fiasco at the top rarely listening to those who have to sort out their mistakes at the bottom.
Nowadays we don't seem to hear of these fiascos any more, Dates are given at which the job will be started and finished, and if it is a Motorway repair or update there are signs put up apologising for inconvenience. You may have noticed cameras put up to monitor the proceedings and all vehicles working on the site have a yellow flashing light, (it's like driving through a disco at night), They've even exchanged the bollards for concrete barricades to stop the arrogant motorist from taking short cuts round the bollards and ploughing down the workers.
All in all things have improved dramatically over the last few years and those at the top seem to have got their act together.
Perhaps it is the principle of ISO 9000 Quality Management beginning to bite ... Who knows? But the fact remains that organisers and managers need the proper tools for the job – in this case, suitably skilled and competent card-carrying workers, and in the case of the security industry these are in short supply.
For many years the problem was trying to establish the levels of competence of each of the many hundreds of tradesmen employed on a large job and the staff who organise and manage it. The answer came back to the NVQ system. After all, this is what it was designed for.
Someone has checked out each worker and assessed his skills and capacities and graded him to pre-set levels and then issued a piece of paper to prove it.
The idea was then thought up of putting those qualifications onto a card so that each worker could carry the card with him, on site, every day.
The site bosses can now check on anyone, anytime of the day by just asking to see the card to make sure that they are dealing with trained and competent people, and the trained and competent people are doing the right jobs.
The idea has become quite successful and there are currently a quarter of a million of these card-carrying, suitably qualified tradesmen working the sites of Britain. More and more contractors are becoming aware of the benefits of these cards and are turning away anyone who cannot produce one.
Recently an alarm company's workers were turned away from a site because they didn't have a suitable card, it cost the company a lot of time and money. As usual our trade is the last to hop on the bandwagon of common sense.
Keeping incompetents out
Let's look at it from the main contractor's point of view. He has to take responsibility for the site, and insurance and reputation don't come cheap. He is not going to let an incompetent imbecile loose on his site if he can help it, but how does he know from the millions of workers who are competent and who are imbeciles?
He doesn't. But the cards can help. At least the card holder has had to prove his competence in his trade and in Health and Safety to get it.
There is another angle. If the main contractor only allows trained card carrying tradesmen onto his site then, in the case of a mishap, he can absolve himself from some if not all of the blame because he has been seen to employ only suitable skilled people who should have known better.
From the point of view of the main contractor, insisting on card-carrying tradesmen only has all the advantages and benefits.
Recently an alarm company’s workers were turned away from a site because they didn’t have a suitable card ... and it cost them a lot of time and money
Here is the Health and Safety Charter of the MCG (Major Contractors Group). It states
- The member companies of the Major Contractors Group (MCG) are committed to operating construction sites that provide a working environment which is both safe and free from health hazards for everybody within the construction industry and for members of the public.
MCG member companies will commit to:
- A target reduction of 10 per cent year on year in the incidence rate of all reportable accidents and incidents per 100,000 workers until 2010.
- A fully qualified workforce by the end of 2003.
- A site specific induction process before anyone is allowed to work on site.
- All workers being consulted on health and safety matters in a three tier system based on project, workgang and individual workers.
- Holding best practice workshops on health and safety practices and setting up a system to disseminate lessons learned.
- Publishing an annual report of members' safety performance as a group.
- Supporting the Construction Confederation's aim of reducing the incidence rate of work related ill health in the construction industry by 10 per cent year on year from January 2003.
What is probably of most importance to us is the fact that as from December 2003, NO ONE will be allowed on designated sites without a card.
So, what are they and how do we get one?
The BSIA has agreed a scheme with CSCS which came into place on the 8th April this year to give access for our trade to get the CSCS card.
There are a variety of cards available for all levels of trade, to get one you have to establish your competence levels in your trade and prove competence in health and safety.
Any tradesman wishing to get a card can take a health and safety test, which currently costs £35. However, if you have gained an appropriate NVQ within the last two years you will have already covered the health and safety aspect and are therefore exempt from the test.
The card itself usually costs around £20 and is valid for 5 years (3 years for a trainee).
There is the dreaded Red card for trainees, a Blue card for skilled workers (NVQ 2) and a Gold card for advanced skills (NVQ 3).
Recently introduced are the Platinum card for supervisors and managers (NVQ 3 and 4), a Black (funeral?) card for the contracts manager (NVQ 5) and a Green card for labourers.
Well, the writing is on the wall at long last. We are going to have to prove our skills by getting qualified and by getting the card to prove it to the world. It will start at the top and, in the fullness of time, work its way down to the lower levels.
As with all new and revolutionary Ideas there will be those who save money by getting in first and those who leave it until they lose money by being turned away at the door ... it's your choice.
For more detailed information ring Chris Pinder at BSIA Headquarters on 01905 21464, or ring the CSCS direct on 01485 578777.
What is probably of most importance to us is that one thing is certain; anything that will push our industry into getting itself formally qualified at long last has got to be a good thing.
So that's how they do it ...
Following on from last month's Pyronix bash at IFSEC, I was invited to look round the factory at Rotherham, or rather both the factories at Rotherham. I was very impressed, everything was organised and orderly and the machinery was incredible.
I have heard stories of these new modern machines that can wallop components onto a printed circuit board so fast that the eye cannot follow them but it is the first time I have seen one in action.
Fast is an understatement, I was fascinated, I could have watched it all day. I have to take my hat off to the guys who set these machines up, the degree of tolerance and accuracy that they work to is incredible, but the inventor of a machine like that must be on another planet. So, for the second month running I find myself saying thanks to the Pyronix team for their hospitality and to Paul Horton for showing me around.
And just in case you thought you'd be getting away without a World Cup joke ...
A man had tickets for the World Cup Final. As he sat down, another man came over and asked if anyone was sitting in the seat next to him.
Source
Security Installer
Postscript
Mike Lynskey is a former proprietor and independent inspector of alarm systems. He is now a network manager with the NSI. The personal views expressed should not be taken as the opinions of the NSI. E-mail Mike on mike.lynskey@virgin.net
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