The construction industry’s willingness to embrace technology has been crucial to its success, allowing it to flourish and keep pace in a primarily digital age. Whether it’s through modern building practices like solar power and heat pumps or behind-the-scenes software that makes administration duties that bit more seamless, technology now forms a key part of day-to-day life in construction.
CSCS Smart Check app
The CSCS Smart Check app is the latest piece of tech that is set to become a ‘game-changer’ in the industry, streamlining the process of CSCS verification for both employers and workers.
Rolling out from April, the app has been developed by the 38 card schemes displaying the CSCS logo and will allow the 2.1 million cards currently held across the construction industry to be verified using one single app.
As well as speeding up the checking process, the app will help tackle fraud in the industry, which in turn will significantly improve safety on sites up and down the country.
Employers will be able to see quicker and clearer than ever the exact work that a tradesperson is qualified to carry out, protecting themselves, their business, the cardholder and the rest of the team on-site.
The app will also help reduce waiting times between a worker successfully applying for a card and being able to enter a site as they will no longer need the physical accreditation to be verified. In a time when construction workers are in incredibly high demand, the instant nature of the new service is a significant perk.
How does the new app work?
The CSCS Smart Check app can validate both physical and virtual cards by scanning a QR code or contactless card chip.
All 38 schemes that carry the CSCS logo can be validated on the app, which connects to a live database of each scheme.
In December 2020, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) announced that the industry, including trade associations, contractors, clients and government, should specify and promote card schemes displaying the CSCS logo with no equivalents accepted. This is known as the One Industry Logo action.
Following that, the CLC also announced that by 31 March 2022, all card schemes must use smart technology allowing for electronic checks.
There are no immediate plans for the app to fully replace existing card checking operations, such as turnstiles and card readers, so employers can choose whether or not they want to adopt the technology straight away. However, over time, it’s likely we’ll see the app become the primary method used for validation right across the industry due to its convenience.