CSCS has upgraded its Smart Check platform to collect more detailed data from construction sites, in a move aimed at improving workforce planning and skills evidence across the industry.
The change adds 3 new fields to the Smart Check API: GPS coordinates showing where a card was read, a site ID or name, and a read reason.
That read reason can show whether a card check was carried out for pre-induction, induction, re-induction, a routine check, site entry or another purpose.
The new fields are now live for employers and approved IT partners that have integrated Smart Check into site access, workforce management and induction systems.
Smart Check is used to verify cards carrying the CSCS logo, including CISRS cards used across the scaffolding and access sector.
CSCS said the upgrade will give the industry a clearer view of the carded workforce on live sites, rather than relying only on wider labour market estimates or survey data.
The platform can verify all 2.3 million cards displaying the CSCS logo. CSCS says it is already used by some of the largest contractors in construction to check that workers have the right card, training and qualifications for the work they are doing.
The extra site-level data will also feed into the CSCS Alliance’s Workforce Insights tool, which uses anonymised information from more than 2.3 million cardholders across 37 card schemes.
Taken together, CSCS says the tools can provide a more accurate geographic picture of occupations, skill levels and workforce volumes across the UK.
That could help industry bodies, government and public authorities make better decisions on training funding, regional skills gaps and future workforce demand.
Sean Kearns, Group Chief Executive of CSCS, said: “Smart Check has always been about giving the industry confidence that the people on site are who they say they are, and properly skilled and qualified for the work they’re doing.
“With these enhancements, it becomes something more: a source of national workforce intelligence.
“If we know the skills and training levels on the ground in each geography, we can help industry, government and public authorities make informed decisions about where to invest in training and where the real gaps lie.”
CSCS is also contributing to the Construction Skills Mission Board through a newly created data working group.
The organisation will attend UKREiiF from 19 to 21 May, where it plans to outline its digital infrastructure capabilities to contractors and local authorities.
For scaffolding and access, the upgrade matters because CISRS cards are among those checked through Smart Check.
The change should give the sector a stronger evidence base on where scaffolders are working, what card levels are being presented on site, and where training demand may be building.
More information is available at CSCSGroup.co.uk/SmartCheck.
