24
DECEMBER 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
CITB fraud crackdown after
‘widespread cheating’ in exams
Six thousand construction workers
will have to resit health and safety
exams after widespread cheating
was discovered in the system.
The CITB has confirmed the
retests as part of its ongoing
campaign to crackdown on
skills card cheats.
Problems were highlighted during a BBC Newsnight investigation
last month which showed candidates being offered test answers
for inflated fees.
The health, safety and environment test is a basic requirement
for people looking to work on
most sites.
Tests are carried out at a string
of 544 centres authorised by the
CITB and a pass is needed to hold
any kind of CSCS skills card.
Carl Rhymer, CITB Director of
Delivery and Customer engagement said:
“We know card fraud is a serious
problem for the UK construction
industry and we are tackling this
head-on.
“We were actively investi gating
and had shut down five internet testing centres before the
Newsnight programme was broadcast. Three of these centres were
featured in the programme.
“Whilst it is impossible to eliminate fraud completely, we are
working hard with CSCS and the
Police to crack down on fraud and
we are accelerating existing plans
to install mandatory CCTV in all
testing centres.
“We’ve also increased the number of spot checks on centres, to
act as a deterrent.
“We have reviewed all test results
and evidence indicates that the
vast majority of the tests are legitimate.
“Following analysis of how the
test was answered, using known
testing patterns and geographical
factors, we will require 6,000 individuals to be retested.
“Many of these are expected to
be legitimate, but this is to eliminate any doubt.
“CITB is advising employers that
they do not need to take any action, unless a CSCS card has been
revoked.
“CITB will issue vouchers to
cover the cost of retesting.
“Safety on site is paramount, but
we cannot do it alone. We are calling on all employers to check the
validity of CSCS cards by using the
Smart technology contained within
the card.
“Our intelligence suggests that
organised fraud is focused and
accounts for very small proportion
of the achievements issued legitimately every day.
“Where possible, we always work
with law enforcement to prosecute those engaging in fraudulent
activity.”
A CSCS statement said: “CSCS
fully supports CITB’s decision to
recall the HS&E Tests identified by
their investigation.
“Passing the CITB HS&E Test is
a key requirement to obtaining
a CSCS card. Following CITB’s
announcement CSCS is writing to
the affected 6,000 card holders to
confirm their CSCS card is at risk
of cancellation.
“In order for the CSCS card
to remain valid cardholders
must register to retake the CITB
HS&E test within one month and
complete the test within three
months.
“Failure to complete either of
these steps will result in the immediate and permanent cancellation of
the CSCS card.
“CSCS accepts many of the 6,000
cardholders will not have taken part
in fraudulent activity, however to retain the support and confidence of
industry and avoid any doubt all the
card holders contacted by CITB will
be required to retake the test.”
Source:CITB
Easing the struggle of fire doors
Door safety firm
DoorTECH, established
for more than nine
years has been working with Fireco to find
a solution to assist
people struggling with
heavy fire doors in care
homes and other relating sites.
DoorTECH was initially
installing Dorgard, a device
which holds doors open at
any angle and closes on the
sound of the alarm.
After developing Freedor,
an overhead door closer
that makes opening a heavy
fire door effortless, Fireco
offered Doortech the opportunity to install this new
product. It enables greater
ease of access and provides
freedom for everyone in the
building. One of the important benefits of the product
has been to increase demand and boost profits.
Richard Freemantle, business manager at DoorTECH,
said: “We found Freedor
to be an ideal solution to
offer customers seeking to
improve access.” Following
on from its success with
Dorgard, the firm started
installing Freedor.
Richard said: “We install
Freedor on sites in the entrances, corridors and other
areas such as kitchens and
bedrooms for our clients.”
Fitted to the top of a fire
door, the unit is wire-free
and battery powered. This
makes for a hassle-free
install, making them a great
choice for installers. Richard
continued: “Unlike hardwired alternatives, being a
wire-free unit means we can
do our installs quickly and
there is less mess, saving us
time to do more jobs.”
Freedor sales boosted
DoorTECH’s business and
helped improve customers’
residents’ quality of life.
Richard said: “We’ve seen
an increase in demand from
our customers as Freedor
takes away the weight from
doors and gives people
freedom of movement. It’s
proving a very popular
product.
“Fireco provides a great
service demonstrating how
simple the products are to
operate and install, deliveries come through on time
and there is always someone to answer any questions
quickly.” Richard adds.
www.fireco.uk