& 
No. EUSR is the register the energy and utilities sector uses for operational water, gas and power sites, while CSCS is the construction scheme. Many people need one, some need both, and since October 2026 a SHEA registration no longer comes with a CSCS card.
What EUSR is
EUSR (the Energy and Utility Skills Register) keeps a register of who has passed the safety training that utility companies ask for. Your pass is recorded against your name, so a client site can check it rather than take a card at face value. The best known schemes are the SHEA (safety, health and environmental awareness) courses and National Water Hygiene. All of them are on our EUSR courses page.
EUSR and CSCS side by side
| Scheme | Where it is used |
|---|---|
| EUSR | Operational water, gas and power sites. Training such as SHEA and National Water Hygiene, recorded on the EUSR register. |
| CSCS | Construction sites. Cards based on your qualification and a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass. |
Which SHEA scheme do you need?
| Scheme | What it is |
|---|---|
| SHEA Water | Eight modules, three years on the register. |
| SHEA Gas | Nine modules, five years on the register. |
| SHEA Power | Eight modules, three years. Accepted across generation, transmission and distribution. |
| National Water Hygiene | The blue card for clean water sites, three years. Separate from SHEA Water. |
The client usually specifies which one. For restricted operations on the clean water network you need both National Water Hygiene and SHEA Water, because one does not cover the other.
What changed in October 2026
A SHEA registration used to carry a CSCS Green Labourer card with it. From October 2026 it no longer does. You now apply separately for the EUSR card that fits your role, and a 2026 registration sits on an EUSR Utilities card. Registrations from 2023 and 2024 keep the CSCS Green Labourer card they came with. If someone tells you the course gets you a green card, their information is out of date.
How the course works
- One day in a classroom, live online, or at your own premises for a group.
- Assessed as you go: a short multiple choice assessment, set by EUSR, at the end of each module.
- Recorded on the register under your name, so a site can verify it.
Renewing
The SHEA schemes have a renewal option, but only while your registration is still live. Once it lapses you start again rather than topping up, so put the date in your diary. National Water Hygiene has no separate refresher: when the three years are up you take the same course and assessment again.
Do you also need a CSCS card?
If you work on construction sites as well as utility sites, probably yes. A CSCS card needs a qualification for your role and a CITB Health, Safety and Environment test pass from the last two years. We run SHEA training and we are an approved HS&E test centre, so both can be arranged in one place.
Training a whole team?
We run SHEA Water, Gas and Power at your own premises anywhere in the UK. For a group that is usually cheaper per head, and nobody loses a day travelling.
Frequently asked questions
Is EUSR the same as CSCS?
No. EUSR covers operational utility sites; CSCS covers construction sites. Some workers need both.
Does SHEA still come with a CSCS card?
Not for new registrations. From October 2026 you apply separately for an EUSR card, and 2026 registrations sit on an EUSR Utilities card.
How long does SHEA last?
SHEA Water and SHEA Power last three years; SHEA Gas lasts five years.
Can you train our whole team?
Yes. We run SHEA at your own premises anywhere in the UK.
Read the source
The Acadame EUSR courses, SHEA Gas, SHEA Power and SHEA Water course pages, and EUSR (the Energy and Utility Skills Register). Facts checked on 23 October 2026.
Find a date that works
Every course, every centre, with live availability and prices.
On your site or ours, and group rates on request.
