For most people trying to get onto a UK construction site, the green CSCS card is the document that opens the gate, because contractors and site managers expect everyone working on site to prove they hold the right health and safety knowledge before they set foot on it.
Earning that card means satisfying two separate requirements, and our CSCS green card training course covers the qualification side of it: the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, delivered online with the accredited exam included.
If you are starting out in construction, changing careers, or returning to the industry after time away, this is usually your first step. The course is studied through our e-learning platform, so you can work through it at home and around other commitments, and it gives you a recognised qualification in its own right as well as the certificate you need towards your card application.
How The CSCS Green Card Requirements Work
It helps to be clear from the outset about what the green card actually involves, because the qualification and the test are two different things and you need both. The first requirement is the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, which is the course and exam provided here.
The second is the CITB touch screen test, a separate assessment that must be booked directly through CSCS and sat at an approved test centre. This course does not include that touch screen test.
Once you hold the Level 1 certificate and have passed the touch screen test, you can apply to CSCS for your green card.
Our role is to get you through the qualification properly and efficiently, so you arrive at the application stage with one of the two requirements already behind you and a solid grounding in site safety to take with you.
What The CSCS Green Card Training Course Covers
The qualification is built around the core safety knowledge expected of anyone working on a construction site, and it is studied across ten modules. It opens with the legal side of health and safety before moving into risk assessment and safe working practices, then works through the hazards that cause the most harm on site.
Each module carries a 70% pass mark, so you need to demonstrate genuine understanding as you progress rather than simply working through the content.
Across the ten modules, the course covers:
- An introduction to health and safety and why it matters on site
- Hazards, risks, assessments and controls
- Slips, trips, falls and working at height
- Manual handling
- Plant, machinery and noise
- Respiratory risks
- Fire, electricity and gas safety
- Chemicals and other onsite hazards
- Vehicles, PPE and general safety
- Your pathway to the CSCS card
That final module ties the learning back to the practical step of applying once you are qualified, so you finish the course knowing exactly where it sits in the wider process.
Who The CSCS Green Card Course Is For
The green card matters to far more people than general labourers alone. Anyone who needs access to a construction site benefits from holding one, which is why the course suits new entrants, apprentices, career changers moving into the trades, and people in supporting or site-based roles who need to be on site safely and legally.
It is designed for people at the start of their construction journey, with no prior experience or qualifications assumed. If you are an employer bringing new staff into the industry, the same course works as part of a structured induction, giving your team the underlying health and safety knowledge before they progress to more specific training. Either way, it establishes the safe-working foundation that everything else on site is built on.
The Course And Exam Explained
The training comes in two parts. Part one is the video-based e-learning course, which runs to around 120 minutes of content and is studied entirely online at your own pace, with questions throughout so you can check your understanding as you go. Part two is the accredited exam, and this is a properly invigilated assessment rather than a casual quiz.
You gain access to the exam three working days after finishing the course, as that is how long the examining body needs to process your registration. The exam itself runs for 40 minutes and is invigilated remotely using your webcam and screen sharing, which means you can sit it from home without travelling to a test centre.
It must be taken on a laptop or desktop using Google Chrome, with a webcam and speakers, and strict conditions apply throughout: you must stay visible on camera, work alone in the room, and keep notes, additional tabs and other devices out of use. The qualification is approved by CPD, IIRSM, Gatehouse Awards and the Institute of Hospitality, and once you pass you receive your certificate, which can take up to ten days to arrive.
Start Your CSCS Green Card Journey with TL Training
Getting site-ready starts with the right qualification, and this course gives you the Level 1 Award along with a clear understanding of how to work safely from your very first day on site.
Remember that the CITB touch screen test is booked separately through CSCS, but completing the course here means one of your two requirements is sorted. You can get started on the CSCS green card course here, or contact our team if you are arranging training for a group of new starters.
Once you have your card and you are working on site, gaining machinery tickets is often the next move, and our NPORS plant training courses let you build on that foundation with practical qualifications such as forward tipping dumper and telescopic handler training, which open up better-paid and more skilled roles on site.