We have noticed the increasing number of roadworks and industrial work occurring around Inverness and the wider Highlands, and with extra work comes extra responsibility. Here at ACT, we want to make it as transparent as possible, so we have come up with this short guide to comply with government-regulated standards.

The New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA) (New Roads and Street Works Act 1991) states that operatives and supervisors working on public highways must hold the appropriate qualifications to carry out their work. These qualifications are commonly referred to as "Street Works Tickets" and are designed to ensure work is carried out safely and legally.

What Qualifications Do You Need?

There are multiple Street Works qualifications you can achieve, all relating to specific areas of work carried out on the highway. However, they are split into two main categories:

O-Series Units (Operative qualifications) – for those carrying out the physical work on site
S-Series Units (Supervisor qualifications) – for those monitoring and overseeing the work

Picking the right route for your current job is important before applying for the Street Works Qualification Register (SWQR) card, which is commonly requested by employers before work can begin. If you are going to be working physically on the street works activity, units O1–O7 are the ones you are looking for. If you are overseeing and ensuring compliance, then you should be picking S1–S7. We will be going through what this means in the next section.

At a Glance

Operatives follow the O-unit pathway.
Supervisors follow the S-unit pathway.
LA is required for both pathways.
O1 and S1 are the key starting certificates.
Additional units depend on the work being carried out.

What Level Is Required for You?

With your Street Works card, there are key certificates required for certain areas of work when becoming a supervisor or an operative. In all cases, the LA (Location & Avoidance of Underground Apparatus) certificate is a key requirement to become either. The minimum requirements are the first units of the respective pathway. For example, under NRSWA guidance, LA and O1 are the key certificates required for operatives, alongside the relevant O-certificate(s) (from O2 to O8), and LA and S1 are the key certificates required, along with the relevant S-certificate(s) (from S2 to S7), for supervisors.

Here is the full rundown of all the units you can add to your Street Works card:

LA - Location & Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
O1/S1 - Monitoring or Signing, Lighting and Guarding (Key Certificate)
O2/S2 - Monitoring or Excavation in the Highway
O3/S3 - Monitoring or Reinstatement and Compaction of Backfill Materials
O4/S4 - Monitoring or Reinstatement of Sub-Base and Base in Non-Bituminous Materials
O5/S5 - Monitoring or Reinstatement in Cold-Lay Bituminous Materials
O6/S6 - Monitoring or Reinstatement in Hot-Lay Bituminous Materials
O7/S7 - Monitoring or Reinstatement of Concrete Slabs
O8/S8 - Monitoring or Reinstatement of Modular Surfaces and Concrete Footways

As you can see, we have bound the supervisor and operative units together as they relate to the same content. The supervisor modules will be monitoring the unit, while the operative modules will be hands-on with the practical work. The key modules have been made bold, but your employer may require you to have additional certificates for the work you are carrying out.

Street Works Training with ACT

Here at ACT, we deliver both operative and supervisor Street Works training from our training center in Dingwall, serving Inverness, Fort William, and the wider Highlands & Islands.

We offer a 5-day course, approved by CABWI and SWQR, that covers all the units, giving you a full certification on your Street Works card for both operatives and supervisors. If you are looking for a shorter course, we also offer separate courses for:

The LA Unit (Location & Avoidance of Underground Apparatus), which covers the basic principles of the location and avoidance of underground services and the risks associated with them.
The O1/S1 Unit (Signing, Lighting & Guarding). This course covers the basic principles of signing, lighting and guarding, as well as the requirements needed to operate or supervise on a Street Works site.

You can browse all available Street Works training courses here:

https://www.actsafe.uk/store/street-works-training

Street Works Certificates Explained

What Qualifications Do You Need?

What Level Is Required for You?

Street Works Training with ACT

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