The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:52 pm**

For the first time in a couple of years works gone quiet for us.
I was half expecting it TBH so I rang around before Xmas to get me and the lads a but of commercial paving to see us through Jan and maybe Feb and got it within a few phone calls but was told we must have CSCS cards.

Neither of my lads have ever had one and mine ran out in October last year.
I booked us all in for the test and we passed no problem.
This morning I've phoned to order the cards and was told that unless I have an NVQ I'll have to take a 1 day course so that I have a health and safty qualification.
I said to the woman on the phone "I've just passed your test that proves I'm knowledgeable about H&S and when I left school there were no NVQ qualifications in modular paving so with 20+ years in the trade why would I need to pass an NVQ which would teach me less than I already know and cost me a fortune?"
Her reply was "I don't make the rules"

I've managed to book the test for Friday which was Â£150.
My labourer has an NVQ level 1 in bricklaying and my other lad can get a temporary card because he's never had one.

I've had to ring the firm we were getting the work from to explain the situation and they were quite understanding but if I can't get a card until the end of Jan because of all the jumping through hoops it's a months loss of income.
Is there still such a thing as common sense?

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:20 pm**

Typical UK B******t!

We've gone quiet too. Got work this week and next Tuesday. Need the phone to ring ASAP really.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:26 pm**

That's January for you FB which is why I said in the other thread that it's always handy to be friendly with a few big firms that you can sub off just in case.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:44 pm**

Yeah I'm chatting to a guy about it tomorrow if I finish early. Don't know what to ask for for day rate though. Don't like day rates. Quotes are better. It goes well and you do the job per spec all good. It goes bad, you eat it up.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:47 pm**

Your not far from me so Â£150 per day minimum.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:49 pm**

OK cool that sounds OK to me. How the hell can they money of that though when they add VAT etc.

Will I use my own sign written vehicles or theirs do you think?

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:59 pm**

A company cares less than a domestic customer about you charging them vat because they claim it back.
You'll have to discuss your van with the company. Using there van might bring your rates down.

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:17 pm**

I gained the Mickey Mouse nvq level 2 in modular paving a few years ago .half a day in classroom .lay one slab and put barriers round pack of slabs that was it .got the blue cscs card .iwhen it ran out ,I booked cscs test again ,passed and they sent me green card .they put me on wrong test

Posted: **Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:26 pm**

That tickled me. How much was the course?

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:21 pm**

Well spoke to that guy and standard day rate was Â£150 in local area or pay per meter. Â£16 per meter. I'll take the meter rate for sure as this doesn't include clearance etc. etc. and materials already on site and site clear and ready for work. All going well I think my bro and I could do 30+ meters in a day of close board which is roughly 500 per day between 2.

The catch is..... one of us needs all this

â€¢Emergency First Aid at Work
â€¢Manual Handling
â€¢Driving Licence
â€¢CSCS / CPCS
â€¢SSSTS / SMSTS
â€¢Abrasive Wheels
â€¢Cable Avoidance (CAT4)

What the hell is SSSTS/ SMSTS

I've got the driving license bit.....

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:26 pm**

Its these silly bugger pandering to such nonsense that I blame.
I was told my chainsaw certificate had expired. Despiteit having no expiry date on it. The people who issued it told me it doesnt expire, but if the people employing you sY it has, its thier rules.
I ignored it and carried on regardless. Nothing happened

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:43 pm**

The smsts is what site managers would need to have cant see why you need that as a subbie its all bull as the sms thingy has first aid in it (from what I have heard) abrasive wheels you don't really need as there is no ticket to operate cut off saw only to change the blade.
Cat ticket wouldn't have thought neccasary as if its all new builds the site agent will know all locations
Manual handling is just bs
To do all the courses and have all the tickets your looking at 5 days fir the smsts day for first aid and additional days for the others plus over 1k to pay for it all

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 5:45 pm**

I did new build fencing a couple of years ago all I needed was cscs/cpcs plus anyone who worked for me had to have it too

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:36 pm**

Well I crunched the numbers lol.....did I hell.

My gut says that search engine optimisation for my website would be better money spent and wouldn't absorb my time in the process.

Zero chance of getting rich working for someone else. Bugger all chance for myself but bugger all is better than zero!

Posted: **Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:29 pm**

sy76uk wrote:That tickled me. How much was the course?

Think it was about a thousand .bardons paid for it .day release city and guilds roadwork craft years ago was much better .full day at college once a week.

The Brew Cabin

Cscs cards.