Introduction to ConstructSafe
ConstructSafe tools
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ConstructSafe is the New Zealand Construction Industries competency assessment scheme.
It creates risk profiles for Workers by first assessing their Knowledge, and then giving employers the tools to measure their workforce Skills & Experience.
This gives employers and site controllers access to reliable data that can help them to select the most suitable worker, or company, for the job.
By measuring Knowledge, and then Skills & Experience, you can be confident that Training has been effective, and that a Worker is competent to undertake a job.
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In the same way that a drivers licence proves the competency of a driver, ConstructSafe proves the competency of our workforce. It provides assurance that every Worker onsite understands the same Standards, in order to carry out their jobs safely.
ConstructSafe is a Gold Standard for competency assessment, and is a genuine first for New Zealand.
ConstructSafe is providing consistent health and safety competency standards for Construction.
Because ConstructSafe is developed and owned by industry, it is creating a more competent workforce and in turn driving a more efficient industry.
Competency Explained
WorkSafe NZ defines competency as the combination of training, knowledge, skills and experience needed to perform a task safely and effectively.
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Competency is a process. It helps you to measure your workers, and the Standards that you work to. The traditional approach is to send workers back into training every year or two, but as you read earlier, this does not meet even the minimum requirement for competency.
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1. Standard :
This is the skill that a person needs to be competent in.
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2. Training :
Training is how a person learns something for the first time.
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3. Knowledge :
Test the knowledge of the person. This measures if they understand what needs to be done, and if the Training has been effective.
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4. Skills & Experience :
Test the skills that the person has learned whilst they work. This must be an ongoing process.
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The process of measuring competency must contain all 4 steps. ConstructSafe is a Gold Standard for competency assessment, here's why...
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How ConstructSafe works
ConstructSafe Foundation :
Your Industry Induction
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​The Foundation is the starting point for every Worker. It uses an assessment to measure the knowledge of a Worker, and creates a Risk Profile.
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The assessment is based on the Foundation Framework, created by the industry, which cover the hazards, and controls needed to be on a construction site.
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The assessment is one step further than attending a training course. It is supervised to create a fair picture of the Workers knowledge, and also measures how effective various training courses are.
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All of this creates Risk Profile data for each Worker, and for companies who have created a free portal.
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This data can be used to show a companies Risk Profile, and can be used by employers and site controllers to select the most appropriate contractor, or worker, for the work site.
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Foundation makes the process of Site Inductions much more efficient. Workers who hold the Foundation assessment can prove that they have met a minimum level of understanding for construction sites, and so Site Inductions can focus on the specific hazards and controls needed for that particular work area.
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Employers and Site controllers are able to set the frequency that a Worker must sit the Foundation assessment, based on their own risks. As a general measure, a worker should measure themselves through the Foundation assessment every 3 to 5 years.
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The Risk Profile of a Worker changes over time, and so every Worker must sit the Foundation assessment at least every 5 years to have confidence in their knowledge.
If your company controls construction sites, CHASNZ (In consultation with the Industry) have created the Guide to Site Access Controls. This is the minimum standard for controlling site access, as recognised by WorkSafe.
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ConstructSafe Trade Competencies :
Your pathway to excellence
ConstructSafe Trade Competencies use industry created standards to measure a Workers Knowledge, Skills and Experience.
This creates both a Risk Profile, and a way for Workers to prove excellence in their trade.
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Trade Competencies are a gold standard for implementing the competency process, and give companies the tools to measure the performance of their own workers and those of other companies, all to the same Industry Standard. Auditable competency data, Risk Profiles, and a mark of excellence.
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There are more than 20 ConstructSafe Trade Competencies available, all created by Industry, and designed to create an industry benchmark to compare your Company, and Workers to.
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Sign up, or Log In to find out more.
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