Definition

Health and safety qualifications are formal, externally assessed awards demonstrating a defined level of occupational health and safety competence. They complement the experiential evidence gathered through workplace practice. The RICS Health and Safety competency does not mandate a specific qualification, but RICS Surveying Safely, 2nd edition (2018), expects members to be competent to manage the risks associated with their work, and formal qualifications are one of the most credible ways to demonstrate this.

Why this matters for Health and Safety

  • Level 2 application: formal health and safety training is direct evidence that you have developed competence beyond workplace experience alone.
  • Many principal contractors require visiting surveyors to hold a CSCS card before granting site access.
  • A NEBOSH qualification is increasingly expected of candidates who regularly work on or around construction sites, particularly in quantity surveying, project management, and building surveying pathways.
  • Health and safety training counts as formal CPD under RICS requirements — qualifying certificates should be retained and logged.

Key principles

CSCS card and the Health and Safety Test

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card is the most widely recognised site access credential in the UK. Most principal contractors require all site visitors, including surveyors, to hold a valid CSCS card, obtained by passing the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test. A trainee surveyor would typically apply for a Trainee card progressing to a Professionally Qualified Person (PQP) card on chartership.

IOSH Managing Safely

The IOSH Managing Safely certificate covers risk assessment, hazard identification, accident investigation, and health and safety management systems over three to four days with an assessed project. For APC candidates who manage or supervise others, it provides practical and proportionate grounding across the key themes of the competency.

NEBOSH National General Certificate

The NEBOSH National General Certificate (NEBOSH NGC) is the most widely held occupational health and safety qualification in the UK, combining a written examination with a practical risk assessment assignment. It is the industry benchmark for APC candidates with significant construction site exposure; some firms require it as a condition of progression to senior roles.

Specialist qualifications and awareness training

Asbestos awareness training (Category A under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012) is essential for any surveyor who may encounter asbestos-containing materials during inspections. Working at height training is required before undertaking any formal work at height task. First Aid at Work (FAW) or Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) certificates are relevant for site visitors. Each of these can be evidenced in the APC record and CPD log.

Relevant RICS guidance and legislation

  • RICS Surveying Safely, 2nd edition (2018) — underpins the expectation that members are competent to manage the risks in their practice area.
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — places a duty on employees to take reasonable care; formal qualifications evidence this duty being discharged.
  • Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — requires workers who may disturb asbestos to hold appropriate awareness training; Category A is the minimum for surveyors.
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005 — require work at height to be carried out by competent persons; relevant qualifications provide that evidence.
  • RICS Rules of Conduct (effective 2 February 2022) — Rule 5 requires members to maintain the competence necessary for their work.

Ethics and Rules of Conduct angle

Rule 5 of the RICS Rules of Conduct requires members to only undertake work they are competent to perform. Undertaking site visits, asbestos-related inspections, or work at height tasks without relevant training breaches this rule. The competence obligation is not satisfied by experience alone where a formal qualification is the industry-recognised standard. Investing in relevant health and safety qualifications is therefore both an ethical obligation and a practical risk management measure.

APC-style Q&As

Q (Level 1)What is the CSCS card and why is it relevant to APC candidates who visit construction sites?

The CSCS card is the principal evidence of health and safety competence required for access to most UK construction sites. To obtain one, candidates must pass the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test. Holding a valid card demonstrates a minimum level of health and safety knowledge and is a practical requirement before most principal contractors will grant site access.

Q (Level 1)What is asbestos awareness training and who requires it?

Asbestos awareness training at Category A level, under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, is required for any worker who may encounter or inadvertently disturb asbestos-containing materials. For surveyors, this includes anyone conducting surveys on properties built before 2000, where asbestos-containing materials may be present.

Q (Level 2)What health and safety qualifications do you hold, and how did they support your APC development?

(example) I hold the IOSH Managing Safely certificate and a valid CSCS card. I completed the IOSH course during my APC training period as it gave me a structured understanding of risk assessment and hazard identification that I applied immediately on site visits. I have also completed asbestos awareness training, required under my firm's procedures before any inspection of pre-2000 properties. All three are logged in my CPD record.

Q (Level 2)Compare IOSH Managing Safely and the NEBOSH National General Certificate. When would you recommend each?

IOSH Managing Safely — typically three to four days — suits managers needing broad, practical awareness without specialising. The NEBOSH NGC is more comprehensive, combining an examination with a practical assignment, and suits candidates who regularly work on construction sites or who are moving into roles with significant health and safety responsibility. A building surveyor with substantial site exposure would benefit from the NEBOSH NGC; a commercial property surveyor with limited site involvement may find IOSH proportionate.

Q (Level 3)Your firm is sending a newly qualified surveyor to manage a complex demolition project. What health and safety qualifications would you require before they begin, and why?

Demolition carries substantially higher risks than a standard construction site. At minimum I would require: a valid CSCS card; the NEBOSH NGC; asbestos awareness training (Category A) and, if they may be involved in asbestos removal decisions, Category B non-licensed work training; and a working at height awareness course. I would ensure project-specific induction covering the demolition method statement and exclusion zones. These requirements derive from the duty under Section 2 of the 1974 Act to provide adequate training and from CDM 2015 requirements for competent persons. All training must be documented before the surveyor attends site.