For construction
Training matrix software for construction
CSCS, SMSTS, first aid, plant tickets and the inspections on your equipment — in construction, the work hangs on documents that each have a shelf life. Certly tracks them and emails you in good time, so a lapsed card is never again the reason someone doesn't get through the gate.
What a construction firm has to track
- CSCS cards — Five years for most cards — long enough to drop out of sight completely. And since February 2025 a first Green Labourer card lasts only two years.
- SMSTS and SSSTS — Valid five years, and the harshest rule in the wallet: no grace period. One day past expiry and the short refresher route closes — it's the full course again.
- First aid at work (FAW and EFAW) — The three-year cycle. Once it lapses, the holder no longer counts towards your first-aid needs assessment.
- Plant tickets: forklift and IPAF — IPAF PAL Cards run five years; forklift certificates never legally expire, which is exactly why the refresher date has to live in your matrix, not in anyone's memory.
- LOLER and PUWER inspections — Your equipment has expiry dates too: thorough examinations every 6 or 12 months, on intervals the law sets — not the calendar you happen to remember.
Add it up for a crew of ten: easily forty documents with forty different dates, running on three different rhythms. That's precisely the point where a spreadsheet starts losing.
Where it goes wrong in practice
The old hand. New starters get checked properly on day one. The foreman who's been there twelve years doesn't — he "has everything". Until his five-year CSCS card quietly runs out.
The gate. More and more principal contractors scan cards at the entrance with CSCS Smart Check, or ask for a training matrix up front at pre-qualification. One expired document there isn't a fine — it's a rejection, and the only place you see it is in the work you didn't win.
The week before the audit. Chasing copies from supervisors, photographing inspection stickers, updating last year's matrix. And then three certificates turn out to have expired that you could still have fixed six months earlier.
The document that never existed. An auditor doesn't just ask what's expiring soon, but whether everyone is complete. A certificate that was never supplied has no expiry date — so it isn't red and isn't amber, it simply appears nowhere. Your matrix can be fully green while a scaffolder is missing his IPAF card.
The folder of subcontractor copies. At the start of the project you collect everyone's certificates, and from that moment the PDFs age quietly. On your site you're responsible for safe working whoever's payroll someone is on — but you're managing data you can't verify.
How it works with Certly
- Reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days — early enough to book a course even when the training provider is full. For SMSTS/SSSTS that margin is the difference between a short refresher and the full course again.
- The worker gets their own email, with a link to submit the new card without logging in — in English, Polish or Romanian. If it sits, it escalates to you.
- Inspections on intervals — after each round you click "inspection done" and Certly calculates the next date. LOLER, PUWER and PAT-tested tools sit as their own equipment alongside your people and vehicles.
- An evidence pack on one button — a single PDF with the status overview and every underlying certificate, for the auditor or the principal contractor. Or a read-only share link that's always current.
- A photo of the card — upload a scan and Certly fills in the type, number and dates itself. Your worker can do it from their phone; you just approve.
- Role requirements per job profile — record that a scaffolder needs CSCS, the scaffolding qualification and IPAF. The dashboard then shows not just what's expiring but what's missing — and adding a new starter produces an instant checklist.
- Subcontractor portal — invite subcontractors; they keep their own certificates current and you only see the status. When the relationship ends, you revoke the link.
Who's allowed on site? Test it before you plan
What paperwork someone needs to get through the gate differs per project: the principal contractor's requirements come on top of the law — site inductions, client-specific tickets, project rules. With projects in Certly Pro you record those requirements per client and see green, amber or red per worker and machine — tested through the job's end date, before you plan. New starters come in complete via compliance onboarding: paperwork uploaded and approved before day one.
Start without retyping anything
Already have a list? It goes in, in one upload. If you don't, grab the free training matrix template and fill it in — you can import that same file later.
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep track of my crew's CSCS cards?
Record per worker which card they hold, with the card number and expiry date, and make sure you get a signal months before it lapses. With most cards valid for five years, relying on memory or an annual check-up is unrealistic: most firms either put automatic reminders on the dates or review their training matrix at least quarterly — including the CITB HS&E test, which has to be recent when the card is renewed.
What does a principal contractor check at the gate?
Increasingly, cards are scanned with CSCS Smart Check at the gate — an expired card scans as not valid and the worker is turned away on the spot. At pre-qualification, principal contractors also ask for a training matrix up front: by role or individual, which tickets are held and whether they're in date. One lapsed card there isn't a fine, it's a rejection.
Do I need to track agency and subcontract workers too?
At an audit or after an incident, what counts is what's demonstrably valid for everyone on your site, whoever's payroll they're on. Agency workers and subcontractors belong in the same matrix as your own people — and that's exactly where the dates are missing most often. More practical than chasing copies: let each subcontractor keep their own documents current in a portal, so your overview is up to date by definition.
How do I see that someone is missing a required ticket?
By recording per role which documents are required. An expiry calendar only sees documents that exist: a certificate that was never supplied has no expiry date, so it never turns red or amber — it simply appears nowhere. Link each worker to a role profile and you get a present-or-missing checklist per person, plus a company-wide view of every gap.
Does Certly work for small contractors?
Yes. Certly starts at £21.95 a month, billed in pounds: the entry bundle tracks up to 25 workers, vehicles and machines, and bigger bundles grow with your crew. Documents are always unlimited. For almost any crew that's less than one day of downtime — the full price list is at gocertly.com/uk/pricing.
Never miss another expired certificate
Put your crew into Certly in ten minutes and let the expiry dates watch themselves. From €24.95 a month — see all pricing.
Running vehicles and drivers as well? See Certly for transport & logistics.