CSCS Test Study Guide (CITB HS&E) 2026

The HS&E test and your CSCS card

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) issues cards that show you have the training and qualifications for your job on a construction site. For most CSCS cards you need two things: a recognised construction qualification (or proof you are registered on one) and a pass in the CITB Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test, or an approved alternative.

The HS&E test is owned and managed by CITB, not CSCS. There are three versions: Operatives (for site workers), Specialists (for some roles such as supervisors or demolition) and Managers and Professionals (MAP).

When you apply for your card, you need the CITB test ID number from your pass certificate. The CSCS card application fee is £36. Apprentice cards are free.

Revision materials

CITB sells revision materials for operatives, including a question and answer book (GT100), a download and an app with voiceover in several languages. CITB says the real test questions are worded differently from the revision materials, but the meaning is the same. So learn the reasons behind each answer, not just the words.

Health and safety law and site management

The main law in Great Britain is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It sets general duties for everyone at work.

• Employers must protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers, as far as is reasonably practicable. This includes safe equipment, safe systems of work, information, instruction, training and supervision.
• Workers must take reasonable care of themselves and of others affected by what they do, and co-operate with their employer (section 7).
• No one may intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided for health and safety, such as guard rails or fire extinguishers (section 8).
• Employers must not charge workers for anything the law says they must provide for safety, such as required PPE (section 9).

Enforcement

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces health and safety law on construction sites. An inspector can serve an improvement notice, which gives a time limit to put a problem right, or a prohibition notice, which stops an activity that involves a risk of serious personal injury.

CDM 2015

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 set out duties for everyone involved in a construction project. When there is more than one contractor, the principal contractor plans, manages and monitors the construction phase. The principal contractor must also make sure every worker gets a suitable site induction before starting work.

Planning the work safely

• A hazard is anything that can cause harm. A risk is how likely the harm is and how serious it could be.
• A risk assessment looks at what could cause harm and what precautions are needed.
• A method statement explains step by step how a task will be done safely. Read it and follow it.
• A permit to work controls high-risk work, such as hot work or entering a confined space.
• A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing on one topic.

Controls follow a hierarchy: remove the hazard if you can, use something less hazardous, keep people away from the hazard with barriers or engineering controls, use safe systems of work, and use PPE as the last resort.

Reporting

Report all accidents, injuries and near misses (events that could have caused harm but did not). Injuries should be recorded in the accident book. Under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013), certain serious injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported to HSE.

Health and welfare

Welfare facilities

Every construction site must have welfare facilities. HSE expects:

• Toilets, ideally flushing toilets connected to the mains. Portable chemical toilets are a last resort (HSE gives a guide of 1 for every 7 people working a 40-hour week).
• Wash basins next to the toilets, with hot and cold (or warm) running water, soap and towels or dryers, big enough to wash hands, face and forearms.
• Drinking water.
• A place to eat and drink, and somewhere to store and dry clothing.

Noise

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 set three key levels:

Workers regularly exposed above 85 dB(A) need health surveillance (hearing checks). Ringing in your ears after work can be an early sign of damage.

Dust and silica

Cutting, grinding and drilling concrete, stone, blocks and kerbs can make large amounts of silica dust, which can cause serious lung disease. HSE says to:

1. Prevent dust first: for example, use a block splitter, plan fewer cuts or have materials cut off site.
2. Control it: use water suppression connected to a pressurised supply, or on-tool extraction with an H or M class unit.
3. Wear suitable RPE as well, with an assigned protection factor of 20, such as an FFP3 mask. Tight-fitting masks need a face-fit test, and you must be clean-shaven where the mask seals.

Avoid dry sweeping, which puts fine dust back into the air. Use a suitable vacuum or wet methods.

Asbestos

Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000, and HSE says it causes around 5,000 deaths every year. If you think you have found asbestos, stop work, keep others away and tell your supervisor. Never break, sweep or bin it.

Other health risks

• Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS): caused by vibrating tools. Signs include tingling, numbness and white fingers. Use low-vibration tools, take breaks, keep your hands warm and report symptoms early.
• Leptospirosis (Weil's disease): spread by rat urine in water or wet ground. Cover cuts, wear gloves and wash before eating.
• Cement: wet cement can cause burns and dermatitis. Wear gloves and wash it off quickly.
• Sun: UV light can cause skin cancer. Keep your top on, cover your head and neck and use sunscreen.

Manual handling

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 say: avoid hazardous manual handling where you reasonably can, assess what cannot be avoided, and reduce the risk. Use the TILE checklist: Task, Individual, Load, Environment. Use lifting aids where possible and keep the load close to your waist.

General safety

Fire

A fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen (the fire triangle). Take away one and the fire goes out. Hot work, such as welding or cutting, usually needs a permit and a fire check after the work ends.

If the fire alarm sounds, stop work, leave by the nearest safe route and go to the assembly point. Do not go back for your belongings.

Electricity

• Use 110 V tools and equipment on site (yellow cables and plugs). Battery tools are even safer.
• Check tools and cables before use. If they are damaged, take them out of use and report them.
• Before digging, check service plans and use a cable avoidance tool (CAT) to find buried cables.
• Keep plant well away from overhead power lines and follow the site's safe system of work.

Tools and PPE

Only use tools you are trained to use, with guards in place. Only a trained, competent person should change the disc on an abrasive wheel. Wear the PPE the task needs, look after it, and report damage. A cracked hard hat must be replaced.

Site traffic, plant and lifting

• Use marked pedestrian routes, kept apart from vehicles.
• Keep clear of reversing vehicles and make sure the driver or vehicle marshal can see you.
• Only trained, competent and authorised people may operate plant. Never ride on plant unless there is a proper passenger seat.
• Never stand or walk under a suspended load. Lifts must be planned and directed by competent people, such as a trained slinger or signaller.

Keep walkways clear and tidy. Many site injuries come from slips, trips and falls on the same level.

Safety signs

Under the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, signs are needed where a significant risk remains after other controls are in place. Most signs on UK sites follow BS EN ISO 7010. The colour and shape tell you the type of sign:

Prohibition signs

Mandatory signs

Warning signs

Safe condition and fire equipment signs

High-risk activities

Work at height

Falls from height are a major cause of death in construction. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 set a clear order:

1. Avoid work at height where you can, for example by working from the ground with extending tools.
2. Prevent falls with suitable equipment, such as scaffolds or mobile elevating work platforms.
3. Minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, for example with nets or bean bags.

Ladders and stepladders

Ladders are not banned, but they suit only low-risk, short-duration work where better equipment cannot be used. HSE says:

• Set a leaning ladder at about 75°, using the 1 in 4 rule (1 unit out for every 4 units up).
• Keep three points of contact when climbing, such as two feet and one hand.
• Do not work off the top three rungs. The ladder should extend at least 1 metre above where you work.
• Keep your belt buckle within the stiles. Move the ladder instead of leaning out.
• Never stand a ladder on movable objects such as pallets, bricks or vans.
• Secure the ladder: tie both stiles if you can. Footing it is the last resort.
• Do not stand or work on the top three steps of a stepladder.
• Where a ladder rises 9 metres or more, provide landing areas or rest platforms.

Scaffolds and towers

• A competent person must inspect a scaffold before first use, then at least every 7 days, and after bad weather or a substantial alteration.
• Only competent scaffolders may put up, alter or take down a scaffold. Never remove boards, ties or guardrails yourself.
• On construction work the top guardrail must be at least 950 mm above the platform, with a gap of no more than 470 mm to the intermediate rail, and suitable toe boards.
• Mobile towers must be put up by people trained under an industry scheme (such as PASMA) or the manufacturer's scheme.
• Scaffold tags are not a legal requirement, but many sites use them to show when the scaffold was last checked.

Roofs and harnesses

Avoid going on fragile roofs. Work from underneath or from a platform where possible. If you use a harness and lanyard, check it before use at the start of each shift. HSE also warns that winds over 23 mph can affect your balance on a roof.

Excavations

Excavations can collapse without warning. Under CDM 2015, a competent person must inspect an excavation at the start of each shift and after any event that may affect its stability. Keep spoil, materials and vehicles back from the edge, use edge protection, and find buried services before digging.

Confined spaces

Tanks, sewers, manholes and similar spaces can contain harmful gases or too little oxygen. Only trained people with a safe system of work, usually a permit, should go in. If someone collapses inside, raise the alarm and do not go in unless you are trained and equipped for rescue.

Protecting the environment

Construction work can pollute land, water and air and harm wildlife. Everyone on site has a part to play.

• Waste: follow the waste hierarchy. Reduce waste first, then reuse and recycle. Put waste in the right skip.
• Fuel and oil: store in bunded containers or use drip trays, away from drains and watercourses.
• Spills: if it is safe, stop the leak, use the spill kit to stop it reaching drains, and report it straight away.
• Concrete: wash out mixers and skips only in the designated washout area. Never let washings into drains or streams.
• Drains: surface water drains often lead straight to rivers and streams. Never pour anything into them.
• Wildlife: nesting birds and bats are protected by law. If you find them, stop work in that area and report it.
• Invasive plants: do not disturb Japanese knotweed. Report it.
• Neighbours: control dust and noise, switch off engines that are not in use, and keep to agreed working hours.

Tips for test day

• Bring the ID the test centre asks for and arrive early.
• Read every question fully. Look for words like "first", "best" and "NOT".
• The safest answer is usually the one that stops the work, protects people and reports the problem.
• Do not rush, but keep an eye on the time: 45 minutes for 50 questions is under a minute each.
• Practise with questions on every topic, then review the explanations for any you get wrong.

Once you pass, keep a note of your test ID number. You will need it when you apply for your CSCS card, and your pass must be from the last two years.