Scaffolders across the UK are voicing their anger over the recent announcement of the CISRS CPD course with a petition to protest against the mandatory training.
Early last month CISRS announced that from 1 June 2017 it will introduce a two day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course, which will become a mandatory requirement prior to Scaffolder or Advanced Scaffolder card renewal.
A petition has been set up at change.org by angry scaffolders to protest and cut the cost of the CPD that has been rumored to cost around £500. Within 48 hrs the petition has already received nearly 1,000 signatures in protest from scaffolders across the country.
Social media has played a key role in the protest, with over 3,000 scaffolders jumping on board to join Facebook communities to vent their anger of yet another impending expense.
However, no official costings for the 2 day course have yet been announced by CISRS, this will take place later in the year.
In a recent press release from CISRS, Scheme Manager Dave Mosley said: “We are aware that good employers strive to keep their workforce up to speed with changes within the industry, but this is not always the case. With a transient workforce and no formal programme for achieving this we cannot be sure exactly what information has been passed onto whom.
“The basic principle of CPD and/or refresher training is a good one. However, we are all too aware that this comes at a cost not only for the training itself, but also loss of production etc. As such we are looking to ensure that the course provides the most gain for the least pain and offers the scaffolder and their employer some real value added training,”
In a statement to ScaffMag from Simon Vassallo who set up the petition said:
“Enough is enough! All our scaffolding careers we have been paying for courses just to get work, everything from our scaffolding courses,safety passports, cscs touch screen tests, asbestos awareness training, the list goes on. Of course we do it, we all need the money and we all need to work”.
“This time NASC and CISRS have introduced a CPD course in which every scaffolder from June 1st 2017 will have to attend, it’s a 2 day course setting out new rules & regulations. This we can all agree is a good idea. EXCEPT, this means that’s the price of the course, plus losing 2 days wages could come into the region of £500”.
“For any man this is a lot of money, for the smaller firms it could be crippling, as those scaffolders who do not attend this 2 day course their cards will be void. Even though this course was 10 years in the making, there are still questions to be answered”.
“Overall we think it’s a good idea, but the cost is far from great.
This petition is set up on behalf of the working man who has had enough of these money making schemes, we wish the powers that be to stop this course coming in on June 1st 2017. Surely there’s a better, cheaper solution”.
To see the original CISRS announcement click here
with respect this detailed response focus is on the the endorsement from the HSE, THE MAIN ISSUE TO BE ADDRESSED is the COST, WHO WILL pay?if this is mandatory, will the HSE confirm that CPD cost will be met by Scaffolders Employers, NOT scaffolders. https://www.facebook.com/NASCscaffolding/?hc_location=ufimust tread carefully, they are a trade body, NOT a legislator, however good and detailed CPD is.Some may deem this as they are driving this to increase their revenue, I do not believe this, however the https://www.facebook.com/NASCscaffolding/?hc_location=ufi, MUST be seen as having the Scaffolding industries Whole interests, including the financial costs to both employers and Employees
Are you saying that the CITB did not set the standard for this training? CISRS training is NOT mandatory anyway, the law simply states that a “competent person” must erect scaffolding. Training is an element of competency but the HSE do not specify it must be CISRS training. I think that the Scaffolding Association are offering training courses too. All EU course are also valid through the RPL directives that, incidentally, the NASC continually refuses to acknowledge
And just who do you think have their fingers in the CISRS pie and from where do you think the CISRS grew
Again it’s CISRS not the CITB!
It’s not the CITB
i think what they are doing is scandalous the money they want men to pay i can understand the safety aspect but lets face it scaffolding does not change the courses we go on to learn have not changed since they were introduced these people think up these money making schemes and just us all to pay up think its time for a little revolt
How many times do you have to do a refresher after passing your driving test these days?
Simple solution. As already stated,email all updates and info to all the registered scaffs and companies,will cost sod all. And stop shafting the working man for money’s they ain’t got to waste. Every building company you work for has their own scaffolding rules so no matter what you do is never right..job is becoming a joke now and I’ve been at it 30+ years. Should make the brickies, chippies and roofers take more courses and perhaps they might not have so many accidents if they was more aware.
Point is the guidelines are endorsed by HSE, similar to codes of practice, problem is now that the NASC could be deemed and interpreted as being impartial, as the course they promote and formulate, they make their profit from, most are up for training and the professionalism of our game, the NASC is a trade body, not a government quango like the CITB. If CPD is mandatory then EMPLOYERS MUST PAY. This is a great example for Scaffolders to stick together, absolutely EVERY SCAFF!!!
Is there any truth in this Stewart Quinney
The truck driver CPC is just the same rob,embarrasing….any numpty could pass this money making scam!!!
No one seams to address the other problem why are there changes every 5 years TG20:08 then TG20:13 no doubt there will be a TG20:18 a 21 foot tube hasn’t changed, a double hasn’t changed, the equipment we use is the same today as it was 30 years ago, and I’m pretty sure that the maths required to design a scaffold hasn’t changed ether. So why does it need to be consistently tweeked if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it.
All about the cash,all scaffs in the country should boycott it.
The CSCS safety training card is the one that gets renewed on a regular basis. It is done that way to keep everyone updated with changes in the law. An employer has the duty to keep their scaffolders up to date with new working practices and additional training could be an element of maintaining a ‘competent’ workforce. However! It can be easily and legally done through the medium of Toolbox Talks! Dragging every scaffolder back in, at great expense, and the inevitable loss of income, just to re-hash the same-old same-old appears more like a licence to print money than a genuine attempt to further the standards within the scaffolding industry. By making SG4 freely available to all for the benifit of the industry and to help save lives, the NASC took a big step forwards for the scaffolding industry. Looks like the CITB and CISRS and now taking a big step backwards.
Well done for setting it up Simon
What would happen if nobody took the course?
Just another money making scam
It’s all about what they can get out of you…….rather sad init
this is stupid and yet just another way for CITB etc to screw money out of companys and scaffolders, why does a fully trained scaffolder need to do another course to bring them up to speed with any possible changes in requlation, they have all the contact details of every scaffolder registered incuding e-mail addresses so why not just inform them via e-mail or post of any changes as surely there canot be that many every 2 or 3 years, just another big con
There is no LEGAL requirement to update any course or card unless there is a change in legislation or working practises. Complete con!!!
I don’t see why we have to pay anything to renew our cards. When the cards came in to effect in 1979 once you were given them they lasted for life.
Then some money making outfit decided to introduce refresher courses, so we all started doing the Health And safety touch screen test. Well i have just renewed mine and i have never felt so embarrassed in my life. That test was a total insult to my intelligence and anyone else who does it.
First of all every job you go on today the 1st thing you do is have a SITE INDUCTION. So you are up to date with what is needed for working on that site.
Why can’t any changes in the law of the industry be posted on to an official website, then you sign in to that website with your Scaffold Card number proving you have read the new changes which have or are coming in to effect.
It is bad enough how much the wages have dropped in this industry in the last 15 years and now you all just want to keep taking money of us for courses which seriously do not educate the working man, you would be better teaching 4 year old’s what you teach us on these courses.
Robert Harvey
Advanced Scaffolder.