The Institute of Roofing (IoR) is urging site visitors to apply for a Professionally Qualified Person (PQP) CSCS card to address concerns raised by manufacturers regarding access to construction sites.
The problems follow the withdrawal of the CSCS visitor cards, which stopped being issued at the end of February last year. However, existing visitor cards remain valid until their listed expiry date. Recent reports from manufacturers have highlighted that without this card, members of their inspection teams are struggling to get onto site to carry out their role for roofing projects.
The IoR has investigated the issue and found that the PQP card is the most appropriate alternative. Valid for five years, a PQP card certifies that the holder is a qualified member of an approved professional body, and has the skills and knowledge required to work on a construction site without special supervision, even if they are not typically based on-site.
As an approved body, all of the IoR’s members can apply for a PQP card, which can be done via the CSCS website. Applicants will need to supply proof of membership.
Stuart Hicks, chief executive officer of the IoR, said: “Our membership can be used as proof of qualification, or working towards a qualification, which is the criteria needed to apply for a PQP card. Gaining this card will overcome the issues that visiting staff from manufacturers and other disciplines have experienced in gaining access to construction sites to carry out their work.
“If any of our members have colleagues that would benefit from this route to a PQP card, they will need to apply for an IoR membership via our website and achieve a grade of associate, member or fellow. This will depend on meeting certain qualification criteria which can be viewed on our website.”
