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Match your job and your qualification to the right card colour, and find out which HS&E test to book.
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The CSCS card you need depends on two things: the job you do on site and the qualification you hold today. Labourers need a Green card. Qualified tradespeople with an NVQ Level 2 need a Blue card. Supervisors and senior trades with a Level 3 need Gold. Managers need Black, and graduates or members of professional bodies need White. If you’re still working towards a qualification, one of the Red cards covers you in the meantime.
Use the quick finder below to narrow it down, then read the section for your card to check the details.
| If you are… | You probably need | HS&E test to book |
|---|---|---|
| A general labourer | Green Labourer card | Operatives |
| An apprentice | Red Apprentice card | Operatives |
| Working in a trade, registered on an NVQ but not finished | Red Experienced Worker card | Operatives or a Specialist test |
| A tradesperson with an NVQ or SVQ Level 2 | Blue Skilled Worker card | Operatives or a Specialist test |
| A senior tradesperson with an NVQ or SVQ Level 3 | Gold Advanced Craft card | Operatives or a Specialist test |
| A supervisor with a Level 3 or 4 supervisory NVQ | Gold Supervisor card | Supervisory (Specialist) |
| A site or project manager with a Level 5, 6 or 7 NVQ | Black Manager card | Managers and Professionals |
| A construction graduate or professional body member | White AQP or PQP card | Managers and Professionals |
Job titles can mislead. Two people both called “labourer” might do very different work, so go by the tasks you actually do each week. The free Card Finder on the CSCS website is a good final check.
This is the card for general labouring, such as moving materials, keeping the site clean and helping trades. You need the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment (or an equivalent) and a pass in the Operatives HS&E test. It lasts five years and can be renewed.
The Green card isn’t for skilled trade work. If you’re laying bricks or fixing plasterboard, even without paperwork, you need a different route.
Red cards let you work on site while you finish a qualification. There are five types:
The Red Experienced Worker card is the one most experienced tradespeople end up using. Because it runs for one year only, start your NVQ as soon as the card is issued.
The Blue card is for qualified tradespeople: bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, dryliners, painters, groundworkers and many more. You need an NVQ or SVQ Level 2 in your trade, or an approved apprenticeship, plus a pass in the right HS&E test. It lasts five years.
No NVQ yet? Coteca books NVQ Level 2 courses assessed on site, so you can qualify in the job you already do.
There are two Gold cards. The Gold Advanced Craft card is for tradespeople with an NVQ or SVQ Level 3 in their trade. The Gold Supervisor card is for people who run teams on site and hold a Level 3 or Level 4 supervisory NVQ. Supervisors usually sit the Supervisory version of the HS&E test. Both cards last five years.
The Black card is for site managers, project managers and construction managers. You need an NVQ or SVQ Level 5, 6 or 7 in a construction management subject, and a pass in the Managers and Professionals test. It lasts five years.
White cards cover people who come into construction through study or a professional body. The Academically Qualified Person (AQP) card is for holders of approved construction degrees, HNDs and HNCs. The Professionally Qualified Person (PQP) card is for members of approved professional bodies, such as surveying or building institutes. Both need the Managers and Professionals test.
Every card needs a pass in the CITB HS&E test (or an accepted alternative) from the last two years. Book the version that matches your card:
Booking the wrong one means paying for and sitting it again, so check before you pay. You can book through the Coteca CITB test page and practise for free on the Coteca CITB test revision site.
Once you know your card, the steps are the same for everyone: get the qualification, pass the test, then apply on the My CSCS app. Our step-by-step guide on how to get a CSCS card in the UK covers each one, including costs.
Tell the Coteca team what you do on site and what paperwork you have. We'll point you to the right card, book the right test and sort the training if you need it.
See CSCS cards at CotecaCall 0208 099 4324The Green Labourer card. You need the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment and a pass in the Operatives HS&E test.
If you do general labouring, the Green card needs only the Level 1 Award and the test. If you work in a trade, you can get a Red Experienced Worker card once you are registered on an NVQ and have at least a year of recent site experience.
Yes. When you finish a higher qualification, you apply for the matching card. For example, completing an NVQ Level 2 moves you from a Red card to a Blue Skilled Worker card.
The Advanced Craft card is for skilled trades with a Level 3 NVQ in their trade. The Supervisor card is for people who supervise others and hold a Level 3 or Level 4 supervisory NVQ.
The Managers and Professionals test. It is also the test for White AQP and PQP cards.
Yes. CSCS runs a free Card Finder on its website that matches your job title to the right card and test.
This guide is based on official information from CSCS: Applying for cards, CSCS: Booking a health and safety test and CITB: About the HS&E test. Card rules can change, so check the official CSCS website before you apply.
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