What Is a CHAS Application?

Workplace health and safety accreditation is a top priority no matter the industry. It communicates to staff that you take their wellbeing seriously and have put in the effort that is recognised by respected scheme providers. It is also essential when it comes to partnering with other businesses.

This article will go over the process of earning accreditation for CHAS, one of the most well-known schemes, along with an explanation for what it is and its connection to SSIP, and its benefits.

What is CHAS?

CHAS stands for Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme. It is the leading scheme for risk mitigation in the UK, trusted across different sectors such as construction and housing and development. Contractors and clients can more efficiently and more safely conduct operations together with CHAS accreditation.

Qualified CHAS assessors review a business’ health and safety policies and procedures to make sure they are in compliance with relevant laws on occupational health and safety. They can carry out their assessments without having to visit the business’ establishment. 

One major benefit to having CHAS accreditation is that it serves as a prequalification for working with other organisations. You are expected to show such certification before clients would even consider you when bidding for work. No competently run business would partner with a contractor that hasn’t proven they are in compliance with industry safety standards and the law.

CHAS is also the biggest name in the business, and having its accreditation keeps you from being excluded from tender lists. Once you’ve earned CHAS accreditation, you can use their logo and be put into their official database, both of which increase your brand’s awareness and reputation.

What is SSIP? 

SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It is the umbrella body for occupational health and safety assessment schemes, which includes CHAS. In fact, CHAS is a co-founder of SSIP, which lends more credibility to that particular scheme as the one that you should get accreditation for. SSIP is also supported by the Health and Safety Executive.

A problem that many contractors face is having to get assessed by all sorts of different health and safety schemes. SSIP sets out to solve that problem by making it so getting certification from one SSIP member means you’ll also meet the certification requirements from other schemes that are under SSIP. It reduces the cost of having to go through multiple assessments. 

Since SSIP is the umbrella body, you do not get accreditation from it directly. You do not have to be an SSIP member to get accreditation either. All you have to do is get assessed by a scheme that is an SSIP member, such as CHAS. The CHAS assessment follows the criteria established by SSIP.

How to Get CHAS Accreditation

Applying for CHAS starts with having all the required documentation that proves your organisation is compliant with occupational health and safety standards. The paperwork that is necessary differs depending on which accreditation package you choose. 

There are three CHAS accreditation packages: CHAS Standard, CHAS Advanced, and CHAS Elite. The Standard package is the basic tier with the minimum requirements and benefits, while the Elite package is the highest tier with the strictest requirements and most benefits.

While we won’t go through each package’s requirements and all their variations, we can list the type of documents that you can expect to be requested for your application:

• Your organisation’s health and safety policy
• Risk assessments and method statements
• Health and safety organisation information
• Insurance information
• Maintenance records
• On-site health and safety induction records
• Health surveillance information
• COVID-19 procedures and processes
• Toolbox talks attendance sheets
• Safety advisor details
• Evidence of training and certification (first aid, fire safety, COSHH, etc.)

Training that is industry-related with concrete certification is worth much more than having years of experience with no immediately apparent way to show it. Before you apply for CHAS, you need to make sure you have trained your staff through industry-recognised avenues with certificates for proof. 

Once you have all the necessary documents for your chosen package, you will have to pay a fee that is priced according to both the package of your choice and the number of people you have on staff. Keeping your accreditation requires annual assessments with corresponding payments, as health and safety standards change over time.

For example, companies with 5 to 15 employees will have to pay:

• £479 per year +VAT for the standard package
• £739 per year +VAT for the advanced package
• £869 per year +VAT for the elite package

The assessment is all done online, so you don’t need to prepare your place of business for an on-site inspection. You can, however, choose to have an on-site inspection depending on the package you choose.

You will get a professional assessor within a day and an initial response within two days. It can then take up to 10 working days for the process to finish. Just make sure you have everything in order, as any problems with your application can delay the accreditation.

Apply for CHAS Accreditation with Confidence

While we have done our best to lay out the CHAS application process in a simple manner, actually doing it can be a tedious task. Getting all your paperwork squared away takes time, it can be costly to make mistakes during the application, and you are not guaranteed approval. However, it is all worth doing in the end for how many opportunities it opens up for your company. 

The Health & Safety Dept can help minimise the hassle that comes with CHAS accreditation. We are always on top of the latest workplace health and safety standards, so we can consult on your policies and protocols as well as manage the required documents for a smooth and seamless application. Contact us today to get started.