About
LUCAS is the smartcard scheme for Construction and Engineering workers requiring access to work on London Underground (LU) infrastructure.
For years, London Underground has required that anyone working on their infrastructure must have the necessary understanding on access, health, safety and environmental issues affecting the Underground.
As of the 1st April 2015, LUCAS cards are no longer to be printed by the training centres. A Sentinel card validated for the Industry Common Induction & LU endorsement is required for access to site. All previous LUCAS cards are valid until the expiry date shown on the card.
The Industry Common Induction (ICI) provides staff with a health and safety induction for working in construction sites, rail depots and station maintenance. Network Rail has developed it, in partnership with ISLG (Infrastructure Safety Liaison Group) and RIAG (Rail Infrastructure Assurance Group). It covers the safety procedures and risks that are common across the rail industry, whatever the role and type of site
The aim is for the ICI to become the entry-level competence for working in the rail industry, covering the general induction information that is common to all. The key drivers for introducing the ICI are to improve safety and productivity on sites, which is in alignment with Mark Carne’s Safety Vision Statement:
“Outstanding safety performance and outstanding business performance go hand in hand”
Additional benefits include:
- Consistency: one induction across all sites
- Increased assurance via knowledge testing to guarantee level of understanding within the workforce
- A defined periodicity for the induction
- Use of Sentinel smartcard to surface the competence
- Increased productivity, due to reduction of duplication of content in briefings
- Visibility of the whole workforce whether trackside or non-trackside.
How do I take the induction and get my ICI competence?
It’s a two-step process. Your sponsor will support you through both steps. The induction is delivered as a short e-learning module. Once you are confident that you understand the topics covered in the induction, you will undertake an Assessment. You must pass the Assessment to gain your ICI competence.
Step 1: Induction
Your Sponsor or employer will set you up with a login to the e-learning induction. If you work for Network Rail, your training centre will set you up with access.
The e-learning takes about one hour to complete. It is organised in short sections, each one taking no more than 15-20 minutes. You do not have to study them all in one session. You can review each section as many times as you wish.
Before proceeding, you must be confident that you have a good understanding of all the topics. Many screens are interactive, and you will need to explore them to see all the information.
Step 2: Assessment
When you are confident that you know the topics covered in the induction, speak to your sponsor to book you a place at our Assessment Centre via Contact Us Page
When you arrive for your appointment at the Assessment Centre, the assessor will check your identity and explain what you need to do. The Assessment is a computer-based test that takes 40 minutes. It is a ‘closed book’ test, and you must score 80% or higher to pass.
If you pass the Assessment, you will gain your ICI competence on your Sentinel card. If you don’t yet have a Sentinel card, your sponsor will order one for you.
Site management support
The Industry Common Induction (ICI) provides staff with a health and safety induction for working in construction sites, rail depots and station maintenance. It covers the safety procedures and risks that are common across the rail industry, whatever the role and type of site.
You can confirm if an individual holds the ICI competence by scanning their Sentinel smartcard when they arrive on site.
Your sponsor can enable you to become a card checker.
Site-specific inductions
ICI has been introduced to replace the generic elements of the site induction that individuals receive on arriving for work at a site. By holding the ICI Sentinel competence, you can be sure that staffs arrive on site with a consistent basic understanding of safety. You can then focus your site briefings on the key risks and hazards that are relevant for your worksite. You will need to use your own judgment on the specific content required for your location.