Driver testers told to no longer carry out tests in car without a valid NCT

Fórsa has instructed testers at the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to revert to a requirement that customers’ vehicles must be officially roadworthy.

It said the requirement that a car presented for a test must have a valid NCT had been temporarily suspended due to delays due to the Covid pandemic.

The union claimed the RSA has continued to instruct driver testers to waive the requirement if a car does not have a valid NCT.

Fórsa represents most of the RSA’s driver testers.

The move comes as there were an estimated 375,000 cars on Irish roads without a valid NCT last month due to backlogs in some test centres.

Fórsa said it has informed the RSA that the instruction has been issued due to serious health and safety concerns for its driver tester members.

In a letter to RSA management today, Derek Kelleher, Fórsa assistant general secretary, said it is a health and safety issue for members.

“The vehicle a customer presents for their test becomes the RSA staff member's workplace,” he said.

“The only way of ensuring that a vehicle is safe and roadworthy is when it has a valid NCT certificate.

"Without this, it is difficult to ascertain the health and safety risks to our members if they are forced to carry out their work in a vehicle that does not have the certificate.

“Ultimately, they do not know what risk this poses to their safety and limiting tests to vehicles that have a valid NCT helps mitigate the risk.”

He said instructing members to only conduct a driving test in a vehicle with a valid NCT is a reasonably practicable way of increasing their safety at work. Mr Kelleher said it aligns with the General Principles of Prevention within the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act.

A Fórsa spokesperson said it has raised the issue with the RSA since November last year.

He said it also raised it at a State Agencies Oversight Body meeting last week.

Fórsa said it advised, rather instructed, driver tester members last November to adhere to the RSA protocol that all vehicles presented for a driving test must display a valid NCT certificate.

The Road Safety Authority has been contacted for a comment.