In construction, prevention training is not made up by each company: it is set by the VI general collective agreement of the construction sector, which develops article 10 of Law 32/2006. That law requires companies to ensure that all workers on sites have the training needed for and suited to their job (article 10.1) and calls for a single accreditation system, which may be a professional card or booklet (article 10.3). That system is the Construction Professional Card.
The two cycles of the agreement (article 137)
- First cycle, initial training: the basic principles and the risks of the sector. It lasts at least 8 teaching hours (annex XII, section 1) and is entirely classroom-based (article 138.3). It is sufficient training for those who work on site without special risks (security guards, cleaners, suppliers) and is the minimum that any site worker must have (article 137.3).
- Second cycle, by job or by trade: adds to the initial training the specific rules of the job or trade, and includes the initial training (article 137.1.b).
The 20 hours by trade (article 139)
- A common part of 14 hours and a specific part of 6 hours for the trade (article 139.4): bricklaying, demolition, formwork, steel fixing, plastering, electrical work, plumbing and air conditioning, cladding, painting, flooring, lifting equipment, earthmoving machinery, hand-held equipment, insulation, tubular structures, welding, prefabricated elements, machinery maintenance… (article 139.3).
- It is given entirely in classroom form (article 139.7).
- Anyone who already has the 20 hours for one trade, the basic level or an equivalence can take only the 6-hour specific part of another trade (article 139.5).
- By job: 10 hours for managers, 20 for site managers and execution technicians, middle managers and administrative staff, and 70 for prevention delegates (annex XII, section 2.I).
The construction basic level (article 140)
A minimum of 60 teaching hours (annex XII, section 3), classroom-based or blended with at least 20 classroom hours. It counts as the initial training, the training for site managers, middle managers and administrative staff and the common part for trades (article 140.3).
The Construction Professional Card (articles 148 to 155)
- It is issued by the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción and evidences the prevention training received, the professional category and the periods of employment (article 148).
- To obtain it you need at least the initial training (article 151.4), and it can be applied for by those registered with a company under the agreement or who can show 30 days of registration in the previous 60 months (article 151).
- It is decided within one month of submitting the documents (article 154) and expires after 5 years (article 155).
Source: VI Convenio colectivo general del sector de la construcción (BOE-A-2017-10951; construction sector general collective agreement, consolidated text, in Spanish), articles 137 to 140, 148 to 155 and annex XII · Ley 32/2006, reguladora de la subcontratación en el sector de la construcción (Construction Subcontracting Act, consolidated text, in Spanish), article 10