CCNSG Training Courses

The CCNSG Safety Passport is the nationally recognised safety card for UK engineering construction, and on most power, petrochemical, oil and gas and steel sites it is a condition of getting through the gate. The scheme launched in 1993, belongs to the Client/Contractor National Safety Group, and the ECITB has operational responsibility for running it.

Card validity3 yearsFrom the date of issue, with no grace period

Renewal window6 monthsYou can renew up to six months before expiry

DeliveryFace to faceClassroom based, not an online course

Scale~30,000 a yearAround 100 safety passports issued every day

Which CCNSG course do you need?

Four routes, and which you need comes down to three questions: do you already hold a card, is it still in date, and do you supervise anyone.

No card

CCNSG Safety Passport (National Course)

Two days, for anyone who needs to work on an engineering construction site and does not hold a current passport. Covers safe behaviour, safe place of work, permits to work, confined spaces, excavations and the legislation behind them, with a knowledge test at the end. Compare Safety Passport courses.

Renewing

CCNSG Safety Passport Renewal

One day, for people whose card is approaching three years old. A taught refresher assessed by 60 multiple-choice questions. It must be sat before the card expires. Compare Renewal courses.

Renewing

Renewal, Test Only

The same renewal without the taught day: a single 60-question computerised test at an approved centre, pass mark 80%. Quicker, but no teaching and no help on the day. Not every provider offers it. Compare test-only options.

Supervisors

Leading a Team Safely (LATS)

One day, for supervisors, team leaders and site managers. It builds on the passport rather than replacing it, and you must already hold a valid CCNSG card to attend. Compare LATS courses.

There is no grace period

This is the single most expensive thing to get wrong about CCNSG. Your card is valid for three years from issue, and renewal has to happen before that date by one route or the other. There is no leeway afterwards. If the card lapses, both renewal routes close to you and you must sit the full two-day national course again, at roughly double the time off site and double the cost.

You can renew up to six months early, and it costs you nothing to do so: the new card runs for three years from your existing card's expiry date rather than from the day you sit the course, so no validity is lost. Renewing six months early gives you three and a half years before you are back here. If you manage a squad, track the expiry dates systematically rather than in someone's memory.

CCNSG or Safety Pass Alliance?

These two get confused because both are called safety passports. CCNSG is the passport for engineering construction: power, petrochemical, oil and gas, steel. Safety Pass Alliance covers other industrial sectors, with separate passports for food and drink, petrol retail, quarries and more. Neither is a CSCS card, and none of them substitutes for another.

If a client has named a specific passport, book that one. If nobody has been specific and the work is engineering construction, CCNSG is the one most widely accepted.

Common questions

What does CCNSG stand for?

Client/Contractor National Safety Group. It is a consortium of clients, contractors, trade unions, the ECITB and training providers from the petrochemical, steel, power, gas and oil industries, and the scheme has run since 1993. The CCNSG Committee advises on content and standards; the ECITB has operational responsibility for running it. You will also see the card called the ECITB safety passport, or just the safety passport.

How long is a CCNSG card valid?

Three years from the date of issue. To keep it you either sit the one-day Renewal course or take the test-only route, in both cases before the card expires. If it has already expired you must retake the two-day national course.

Should I take the renewal course or the test only?

The taught day suits most people: it revises the syllabus before you are assessed on it. The test-only route is a single 60-question test with an 80% pass mark and no teaching whatsoever, so it suits people who know the material and cannot spare a day. If you are not confident of passing cold, the taught day is the safer choice, particularly if your card is close to expiring.

Can I do CCNSG online?

No. CCNSG courses are delivered face to face by ECITB-approved providers, and the scheme is built around classroom discussion and shared experience between delegates. Anyone advertising a fully online CCNSG Safety Passport is not offering the real thing.

What do I need to bring?

Photo identification and your National Insurance number. Acceptable ID is normally a UK photo card driving licence or a passport; other photo ID usually has to be approved in advance. Some providers also ask for passport-sized photographs. Check the joining instructions, because turning up without ID means being turned away.

Is CCNSG the same as a CSCS card?

No, and they are not interchangeable. CCNSG is the engineering construction safety passport. CSCS cards are the construction industry scheme and are backed by different qualifications entirely. A worker moving between building sites and engineering construction sites may well need both.

What is an ACE card?

The ECITB awards ACE cards, standing for Assuring Competence in Engineering Construction, to people who hold both an ECITB vocational qualification and a CCNSG Safety Passport. If you already hold one, renewing your passport normally produces a combined CCNSG and ACE card rather than two separate ones.

Compare CCNSG courses and dates below

Envico lists CCNSG dates from ECITB-approved providers across the UK, covering the two-day Safety Passport, the one-day Renewal, the test-only renewal and Leading a Team Safely, so you can compare venue, date and price in one place. Training a squad? Compare on-site delivery against sending people out, and use the group travel cost calculator to see which works out cheaper.