CSCS Alliance Partner
EUSR – the CSCS Alliance Partner for the Utilities sector
There are 38 CSCS Alliance Partners, including CSCS themselves, who each offer card schemes that display the CSCS logo and meet the Construction Leadership Council recommendations.
EUSR is the CSCS Alliance Partner for all utilities work carried out on a construction site. An EUSR CSCS card provides assurance that an individual meets the knowledge and skills requirement for the job they do.
All individuals who work on a construction site, performing utilities related activities, must have the right CSCS card for the job they do.
Utilities work includes all ‘upstream’ work in the gas, power, water, telecommunications, drainage and sewers and waste management industries; i.e. all work ‘outside’ the building.
A construction site is any workplace governed by Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) or the Building Safety Act.
EUSR’s SHEA scheme and CSCS status
Currently, all EUSR SHEA registrations are printed onto a CSCS Green Labourer card – regardless of whether or not the individual works as a Labourer.
Along with all other CSCS Alliance Partners, EUSR will work with employers to make sure that individuals hold the right CSCS card for the work they carry out on a construction site. This is a CSCS Labourer card for labourers and a CSCS Skilled Worker card, CSCS Trainee card, CSCS Supervisor card, CSCS Manager cards and others, for other activities such as gas and water mains and service laying.
EUSR SHEA registration is a pre-requisite for all EUSR CSCS cards – we do accept the CITB Health & Safety test for our Apprentice cards.
From 1 June 2025, SHEA cards will not carry the CSCS logo. From this date, all individuals who need to access a construction site to carry out utilities related activities will need to hold a job role specific EUSR CSCS card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only Labourers should use a CSCS Green card to access a site. For any other role, you will need the appropriate card ‘Right card – Right Job’.
You will need the appropriate CSCS card for the role you have on a construction site; the evidence requirements for each CSCS card will vary, and may include proof of a qualification or other approved training.
The Utility Sector Representative Organization (USRO) determines which qualifications or other approved training must be evidenced for each utilities role on a construction site.
You can only access a construction site with the right CSCS card for the work you will be doing – a qualification certificate will not be accepted. The qualification might be part of the requirements of the CSCS card, for example Service and Mains Layers (both Gas and Water) you will need an EUSR registration and Card – which you can only get if you submit the appropriate qualification certificate.
Individuals need to hold the right CSCS card for the job they do on site. If you are carrying out a skilled job, such as water or gas mains and service laying, you should have the job specific EUSR CSCS Blue Skilled Worker card. Construction sites will no longer accept an EUSR CSCS Green Labourer card to gain access, when you are not a genuine Labourer.
Yes, an EUSR registration for any SHEA is required for an EUSR CSCS Green Labourer card.
Your SHEA card and registration will stay as it is until the expiry date, and if you work as a Labourer, you will still be able to use it to get onto a construction site. However, if you are not a Labourer, you may wish to apply for the specific job role CSCS card before your SHEA card expires as you could be refused entry onto a site if you don’t have the right CSCS card for your job.
You will need an EUSR CSCS card to get onto site for the your job role(s) that you will be carrying out. So for example, you will need EUSR CSCS cards for NCO Water and NCO Gas if you lay and/or maintain gas and water mains pipes.
We are currently in the process of getting CSCS cards available for all utilities work carried out on a construction site. We are aiming to launch the first tranche of CSCS job role cards before 31 March 2025, with more being added on a regular basis. We will have a list of CSCS cards available on the EUSR website. If your job role is not listed, please contact eusr@euskills.co.uk.
The cost of an additional job role specific CSCS card is £20.00 + VAT.
You can use the CITB Health and Safety test for your EUSR CSCS Apprentice card. You will need to have an in-date SHEA card for all other CSCS cards that EUSR issue.
Anyone who undertakes utilities related work on a construction site needs the appropriate CSCS card for the job they do. A construction site is one which falls under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 or the Building Safety Act.
The role of Grab Driver falls under the CSCS Alliance Partners NPORS and CPCS. You must apply to them for your CSCS card. This also applies to lots of other equipment, such as Excavators.
There isn’t a ‘go-live’ date. In short, it has been a recommendation in the Construction (Design and Managment) Regulations 2015 that individuals can only access construction sites if they hold the right CSCS card for the job they do. The Construction Leadership Council and Build UK are working hard with the Top 50 contractors to get them to check cards on every site. More and more sites are checking cards each month.
No they won’t. All SHEA cards issued before 1 June 2025 will still carry the CSCS logo.
Yes you will. And to get your EUSR CSCS Blue Skilled Worker card for Smart Meter Installers (Dual Fuel/Electricity/Gas), you will need a SHEA registration. If you don’t already have a SHEA registration, you will need to get this before you can apply for your EUSR CSCS Blue Skilled Worker card for Smart Meter Installers (Dual Fuel/Electricity/Gas).
Please contact EUSR Support – eusr@euskills.co.uk or phone 0121 745 1310. They will take some details from you and confirm which EUSR CSCS cards you could apply for.
No they can’t. CSCS used to have a CSCS card called ‘Industry Accreditation’ where employers could ‘vouch’ for their employees. This card type was withdrawn in December 2024.
Individuals will need the right CSCS card for the job they are doing. An example of this is an individual who is working as a Mains Layer (Water) one week, and as a Mains Layer (Gas) the next – this individual will need to have an EUSR CSCS card for both of these roles.
There are some jobs that are exempt from needing a CSCS card to get onto a site. A list of these can be found on the CSCS website.
It depends on your job because each role has it’s own evidence requirements. You must check what you will need to evidence to support your application for your job role specific EUSR CSCS card.
Individuals who are managers or qualified Assessors, External Verifiers or Internal Verifiers are exempt from having to hold a CSCS card. However, anecdotally, some sites are refusing access to these individuals if they don’t have a job role CSCS card. We will have a Manager and Assessor/Auditing Offcer CSCS cards available soon.
It will depend on their job role. For example, an individual who is a Labourer, will only need their SHEA registration to apply for an EUSR CSCS Labourer – Utilities card. For all other roles, the individual can apply for the applicable EUSR CSCS Trainee card, where the individual will need to provide evidence that they are registered on in applicable qualification relating to their job role and hold an in-date SHEA. This card is valid for 18 months and once they have passed their qualification, they can apply for the job specific CSCS card. If the individual is on an apprenticeship, they can apply for an EUSR CSCS Apprentice card and and once they have passed their apprenticeship, they can apply for the job specific CSCS card.
Utilites work is all work carried out in the gas, power, water, waste management, telecommunications amd drainage and sewers industries; it is all work that is ‘upstream’, i.e. is outside of any meter or cut-off switch.
Please contact EUSR Support – eusr@euskills.co.uk or phone 0121 745 1310. They will take some details from you and we will investigate getting an EUSR CSCS Blue Skilled Worker card for your job role in place.
You can apply through our online shop on our website eusr.co.uk by completing the application form and providing any evidence required.
As soon as we have CSCS cards available for utilities roles, they will be listed on our website eusr.co.uk.
If your job is in utilities, then you must apply to EUSR for your CSCS card. EUSR is the CSCS Alliance Partner for all utilities jobs on a construction site.
Yes. There are 38 CSCS Alliance Partners including CSCS themselves. Each Alliance Partner has their own footprint – EUSR is the CSCS Alliance Partner for all utilities jobs on a construction site.
Re-watch our webinar: Upcoming CSCS Card Changes – EUSR Q&A
This EUSR webinar recording gives an insight into the upcoming changes to CSCS cards, specifically SHEA.
The webinar covered the following topics:
- The context of why the changes are happening and what the changes are.
- How they will impact all employers and individuals who have a job in utilities on a construction site.
- Followed by a Questions and Answers session, giving attendees the opportunity to ask Carole Bishop, Head of EUSR Projects and Rachel Thomas, Finance & Assurance Director any questions.
Find Out More
For more information about CSCS visit www.cscs.uk.com.
If you have any queries relating to EUSR or the evidence requirements for any of our schemes or programmes, please contact the EUSR Support team. We are available Monday – Friday, 8.00am – 5.00pm via email: eusr@euskills.co.uk or tel: 0121 745 1310.