25 years of the Construction Health and Safety (Digital) Test

On this day in 2000, an on-screen UK digital exam was launched, impacting hundreds of thousands of people. Led by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Health & Safety Test was deployed to evidence construction workers had undertaken health and safety awareness training. It was pioneering, impactful, and accessible.

At the time, the UK construction industry employed around 1 in 14 of the working population - over 35 different craft/skill sectors, each with their own particular training and testing requirements.

Working with the Major Contractors Group (MCG), a trade body of 19 UK construction companies, a charter was issued stipulating that all employees on MCG sites needed to carry ‘cards’ that identified them as having been trained, tested, and qualified.

Trade body RICS reported that construction workers were less likely than average to achieve basic Level 1 literacy. Reading ability of Level 3 or lower puts the individual at an increased risk of accident and injury, as they mis-read important safety signs. A population that was unused to digital delivery of anything. Learners who were more used to writing job sheets in block capital letters on paper.

Of key importance was a reassuring and accessible service encounter. The test itself was enabled for the input and recording of candidates’ answer selections by touchscreen or keyboard/mouse, with a full voiceover for the entirety.

The service was designed to be offered in 158 directly managed test centres, but also at colleges and private training providers. The test was also delivered on vans! They covered remote locations where it was impractical or uneconomic to have a centre. As two-thirds of the British construction industry consisted of companies with less than 35 employees, reaching those learners required innovative ideas.

The picture below shows one of the bespoke vans that took the test to where the learners were. Eight test seats, full disabled access, a reception, and toilet facilities. These vans would also turn-up at new sites, including the development of Terminal Five at London’s Heathrow airport. That’s me in the doorway, looking in a different direction to everybody else. There you go.

Paying for the test in a cash economy such as construction was a huge challenge. A pragmatic mix of vouchers, pioneering online credit card bookings, telephone bookings with automated voice response maximised convenience. Trainer bookers who needed to book more than 15 concurrent candidates had their own dedicated service. Even faxed bookings were accepted. Thankfully, we resisted taking cash payments at the centres, although other exam programmes were doing that as business-as-usual!

From a starting point of 40,000 tests per annum, the test volume doubled in one year – proof positive that digital exam delivery can scale. It reached 300k per annum in 2005. The millionth test pass was recorded the following year. Since then, the test has exceeded 750k in a single year, and is taken every working day.

Four years after the test’s introduction, figures from the UK Health & Safety Executive, showed that fatal accidents in the construction industry fell by almost 25%. Not wholly because of the test, but playing an impactful role in nurturing a safety conscious workforce.

The test owner could also evidence their commitment to improving the industry’s image. An additional benefit, with test results being available immediately, meant that workers could gain a card, get on-site, and start work.

It was great to play a small part in the test’s design, launch, and delivery. Big, continuous digital exam volume at scale. All done a quarter of a century ago. But what’s most important is the test’s continuing contribution to minimise danger, and keep everyone safe on site. Still on the job after 25 years!