How to verify a contractor's certification is current before they go on site
Updated September 2026
Short answer
Don't rely on the card or photo you were sent. Look the certificate up with whoever issued it, using the certificate or card number, and record the result with the date you checked. Make it a checklist your coordinator runs the same way every time: identify the issuer, verify with the issuer, match the name to the person on site, confirm it covers the work, log the expiry — and set a reminder before it lapses.
Why the card isn't enough
A photo of a card proves that a card existed at some point. It does not show whether the certification has since expired, been suspended or been withdrawn, and it cannot show whether the person arriving on site is the person named on it.
It also rarely shows scope. An inspector certified for one class of equipment is not automatically certified for another, and the difference is usually on the issuer's record rather than the card.
The repeatable check
1. Get the issuer's name and the certificate or card number — not just a picture. 2. Verify it with the issuer: most certifying bodies and licensing boards offer an online lookup, and those that don't will usually confirm by phone or email. 3. Match identity: the name on the issuer's record against photo ID on the day. 4. Confirm scope: the class, level or endorsement matches the work they will actually do.
5. Log it: who checked, when, how, the expiry date, and a copy of the certificate. 6. Set a reminder ahead of the expiry date, and repeat the check when the renewed certificate arrives. The log is what turns a habit into an audit trail.
Handing it to a coordinator
Write it down as a form with those six fields, so the check is the same whoever runs it. Decide in advance what happens when it fails — normally that the person does not start until it is resolved — so the coordinator is enforcing a rule rather than making a judgment call on a busy morning.
Keeping it current after day one
Verification on arrival is half the job; the other half is noticing when that certification expires mid-project. Track the expiry date against the contractor, send the reminder to them as well as to you, and ask for the renewed certificate early enough to verify it before the old one lapses.
Common questions
- What if the issuing body has no online lookup?
- Ask it to confirm in writing by email, and keep that reply with the record. A written confirmation from the issuer is stronger evidence than any document the contractor supplies.
- How often should we re-verify a certification?
- At minimum at every renewal, and again before a new engagement if months have passed since the last check. Regulated work or client contracts may require more; follow whichever is stricter.
- Can the contractor send us the renewed certificate themselves?
- Yes. In ExpiryLedger a renewal link lets them upload it without an account, and it waits for your approval — which is the natural moment to re-run the check.
Let the dates chase themselves
ExpiryLedger tracks every renewal and emails you — and the person holding the document — before it lapses. Free for 25 items, no card.
Track your first renewal — free