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Investigation Into Construction Cards After Fraud Incident

Construction: Building highrise

A survey has just been launched across the construction industry to look into the use of fraudulent skills cards, the Construction Enquirer reports.

The move comes soon after the news broke of an organised group working with false identity paperwork and certification cards allowed them to carry out unauthorised construction work. Having been prosecuted by the National Crime Agency, the incident has sparked concern about how widespread the problem might be.

Now, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) have come together to launch a study into the use of these cards across the entire UK construction industry, including how thoroughly they are being checked.

Commenting on the action, the CITB’s head of product management Braden Connolly said that it was “essential that steps are taken to stamp out the fraudsters.”

Alongside its own work with the authorities to tackle criminal activity, the survey will help the CITB to get a sense of how big the problem of fraudulent card use is, and how they can go about dealing with it.

“We hope it will also raise awareness of card fraud and encourage industry to carry out thorough card checks and to report suspect cards to CITB,” Connolly added.

Speaking on behalf of the CSCS, chief executive Graham Wren emphasised that the smart technology within CSCS cards made it easier than ever to verify their authenticity.

But, he added, unless people use “consistent and accurate methods of checking cards to certificate workers’ training and qualifications, the schemes cannot fulfil the roles they were designed for.”

Those who work in the construction industry can answer the survey here, until 31 March 2015.