Ticket guides
Plain guides to the tickets UK construction and utility operatives carry: what each one is, how long it lasts, how to renew it and how to check a card is genuine.
CSCS cards explained
Most UK construction sites ask for a CSCS card. The colour and type show someone's level, most skilled cards last five years, and several temporary cards can't be renewed at all.
- How long it lasts
- 5 years for most skilled cards
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
NRSWA street works tickets
Anyone digging in the road needs a qualified operative on site and a qualified supervisor. Each NRSWA certificate lasts five years, and the dates you renew on change what you get.
- How long it lasts
- 5 years per certificate
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
EUSR SHEA cards: Water, Gas and Power
The one-day safety awareness course for utility sites, and the base for every EUSR CSCS card. SHEA Water and Power last three years; SHEA Gas lasts five.
- How long it lasts
- 3 years (Water, Power), 5 years (Gas)
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
National Water Hygiene card
Every UK water company asks for it before anyone works on the clean water network or enters a clean water site. It lasts three years, and there's a health questionnaire first.
- How long it lasts
- 3 years
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
CPCS plant operator cards
The red Trained Operator card lasts two years while the operator gets their NVQ; the blue Competent Operator card lasts five and renews with online CPD and proof of recent operating.
- How long it lasts
- 2 years (red), 5 years (blue)
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
NPORS plant operator cards
NPORS has a CSCS-logo card for construction, red for two years and blue for five, and a Traditional card for other industries. Check which one a site needs before booking.
- How long it lasts
- 2 years (red), 5 years (blue)
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
Confined space tickets
Chambers, pits, sewers and wet wells need trained people. On the EUSR scheme a confined space registration lasts three years; the law leaves the refresher period to the employer.
- How long it lasts
- 3 years on the EUSR scheme
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
First aid at work certificates
A workplace first-aider's certificate lasts three years. HSE strongly recommends a short refresher every year, and once it expires there's no grace period.
- How long it lasts
- 3 years
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
Asbestos awareness
Anyone whose work could disturb a building's fabric needs it. UKATA certificates last a year; HSE says the law doesn't require a full course every year, but awareness has to be kept up.
- How long it lasts
- 1 year (UKATA certificate)
- Last checked
- 4 Oct 2026
NCO tickets: water and gas network construction
The EUSR registrations for laying and repairing water and gas pipes, and for supervising water work. Each lasts five years and sits on top of a SHEA card.
- How long it lasts
- 5 years
- Last checked
- 5 Oct 2026
These guides are a summary, checked against the sources listed on each one. Schemes change their rules, so the issuing body's own website is always the final word.
No expired tickets. No Monday surprises.
Add your operatives this afternoon and the first reminders go out tomorrow.
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