What and for whom
A B-SCC diploma shows that you have basic knowledge of safety, health and the environment. This basic knowledge increases both your own safety and that of the people you work with. You are familiar with laws and regulations, can recognise dangerous situations and actions and know how to prevent them. In short: a B-SCC diploma shows that you know what is expected of you.
A B-SCC diploma is intended for everyone who performs risky work or who works in a risky environment, and is mandatory for everyone who works for an SCC-certified company. This includes permanent and temporary employees, including freelancers and trainees. B-SCC Green is for employees working in landscaping: a variant of B-SCC that goes into more detail about the risks that employees in landscaping are confronted with.
Are you an operational manager? Then you should have SOS-SCC rather than B-SCC. This also applies to freelancers who work as subcontractors (who have an obligation to achieve a result). Are you an intermediary? Then you should have SIS-SCT rather than B-SCC.
Please note!
B-SCC is a starting qualification. Do not just assume that you can carry out risky work independently or that you can work independently in a risky environment. Ask an experienced colleague or manager to guide or coach you, especially at the start.
4. It is required
if you work for an SCC-certified company
Speak up and say no
“We want to be able to enjoy our retirement later. We can only do so if we continue to work in a safe and healthy manner. For this reason, we keep all the necessary personal protective equipment handy and we make sure the workplace is tidy. We believe: work safely or not at all. Speak up and say no when you are unable to work safely!”
Hans en Matthieu Gerrits, Klussenbedrijf Gerrits / KBG bouwservice & dienstverlening
Discuss with your employer what is required of you with regard to safe and healthy work. Jointly decide what you still have to learn and whether this includes B-SCC. Discuss how you can acquire the required knowledge and experience. There are all kinds of options available, from induction programmes to on-the-job training and from training courses to coaching. We want to give you one tip: you cannot learn how to work safely and healthily from a book!
It is not compulsory to take a training course, but it is highly recommended. Every trainer may offer SCC training courses. All you need to do is quickly search on Google to see that there is a wide choice of training courses. How do you find out which training course you should take? We have a number of useful tips for this. Once you have chosen a training course in consultation with your employer, you can start the course.
A training course usually includes the examination. Your trainer will arrange this for you. If you would like to register to take an examination yourself, please contact a recognised examination centre nearby. Examinations take place daily and throughout the country. Would you like to take a mock examination first? Visit the website of VCA Infra. You can read more about examinations here.
If you passed the examination, you will be presented with a B-SCC diploma. This is automatically registered in the Central Diploma Register (website in Dutch). Employers and clients can check this register to see whether you have obtained a diploma. Do you have a personal safety logbook? Please also record your new diploma in the logbook.
The diploma is valid for ten years. After that, you will have to re-sit the examination. You need to keep track of this yourself. You can check the period of validity of your diploma in the Central Diploma Register (website in Dutch).
In practice
If you have a B-SCC diploma, your employer or client can expect that you ensure that you take care of yourself and your colleagues, that you are alert to risks and that you take action to manage these risks.
Validity
Your B-SCC diploma is valid for ten years. After that, you will have to re-sit the examination. You need to keep track of this yourself. You can check the period of validity of your diploma in the Central Diploma Register (in Dutch). Your diploma is only valid if it is registered in the Central Diploma Register.
Exemption
Do you already have a SOS-SCC, SIS-SCT, Intermediate safety management or Higher safety management diploma? Then you are exempted from B-SCC.
B-SCC and other countries
Belgium
The Netherlands and Belgium have a long tradition of cooperation in the field of Safety, Health and Environment Checklist Contractors (SCC). As a result, Belgium now uses exactly the same system as the Netherlands. Dutch and Belgian SCC diplomas (including B-SCC) are therefore equivalent and valid in both countries.
France
You can work with your B-SCC diploma in France on the condition that you start working there under the authority of a VCA Petrochemicals-certified company. Also, your diploma cannot be older than three years. If your diploma is older than three years, you must first take exam again before you can work in France.
Germany and Austria
You can often work with your B-SCC diploma in Germany and Austria. This is ultimately at the discretion of your client. Conversely, in principle the German and Austrian variants of B-SCC are also accepted here, again at the discretion of the client.
Other countries
Other countries do not (as yet) use safety systems comparable to SCC. In principle, your diploma is not valid there, just as B-SCC variants from other countries are not valid in the Netherlands.
Costs
The cost of a B-SCC diploma depends on several factors. Are you taking a training course or are you only sitting examinations? What kind of training course or examination is it? Did you pass the examination the first time or did you have to re-sit the examination?
Taking a training course
A B-SCC training course, including the examination, costs about 225 Euros per day. There are training courses of one day, two days and more than two days. One-day courses are particularly suitable for people who have already gained a great deal of practical experience. Two-day courses offer more time to practice and let the material to sink in. Longer courses are suitable for people with little experience, who are not yet familiar with working in the Netherlands or who have difficulty learning, reading or writing. There are also courses in a language other than Dutch, the costs of which may vary from one language to another.
You only take the examination
A separate B-SCC examination costs about 70 to 100 Euros. This may include a free resit examination. A reading examination or an examination in another language costs about 20 to 50 Euros more.
The amounts mentioned are only an indication. Do you want to know exactly what is possible and what it costs? Then ask your trainer or examination centre. They will be happy to tell you more.