Achilles have announced that they are launching new levels within their portals. These new levels enable you to provide more information that can be verified by an assessor to show the competency of your company.

This is falling in line with the likes of Constructionline and CHAS who already have this in place with the launch of their new levels during 2017.

The new levels fall under the criteria below:

• Standard – PAS91 Questions, SSIP Questions & Assessment
• Advanced (annual turnover <£250,000) – PAS91 Questions, Additional Building Confidence Questions, SSIP Questions & Assessment.
• Advanced + Desktop Audit (annual turnover £250,000 – £2  million) – PAS91 Questions, Additional Building Confidence Questions, SSIP Questions & Assessment.

Prices for membership payable to Achilles are:

• Standard – £200 + VAT
• Advanced (annual turnover <£250,000) – £575 + VAT
• Advanced + Desktop Audit (annual turnover £250,000 – £2  million) – £650 + vat

If you need any help with the additional information please get in touch as we already have the documentation available to help you with the additional questions.

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What is FORS? – Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme

We have spent considerable time over the last 6 months developing a system that we can implement with you within your business to ensure that you have all the processes and procedures in place to comply with the Bronze level accreditation.

We develop the system bespoke to you and provide telephone support to ensure you are knowledgeable of your role and responsibilities in monitoring and measuring your compliance.

We prepare you for the audit process:

• An auditor will visit your premises and go through all you documentation with you.
• You will need to provide evidence of systems, procedures and documentation to show you meet the standard required.
• Re approval audits will be conducted every year for bronze level.

How much does it cost?

Your FORS fee is made up of the annual subscription fee (based on your fleet size) and an audit fee.

Assistance

If you are looking for assistance in setting up the process needed please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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CHAS have announced that they are launching new levels within their portals. These new levels enable you to provide more information that can be verified by an assessor to show the competency of your company.

This is falling in line with the likes of Constructionline who already have this in place with the launch of their new levels during 2017.

The new levels fall under the criteria below:

• CHAS – Health & Safety assessment, completed with 4 additional SELF-CERTIFIED services, ready for potential clients to review.
• CHAS Premium – Health & Safety assessment, completed with 4 additional VERIFIED services, demonstrating PAS91 compliance to the 1000+ CHAS clients.
• CHAS Premium Plus – Health & Safety assessment, completed with 6 additional VERIFIED services, demonstrating PAS91 compliance PLUS the increasingly requested Modern Slavery and Anti-Bribery and Corruption services.

Prices for membership are still to be confirmed and should be released in August 2018.

If you need any help with the additional information please get in touch as we already have the documentation available to help you with the additional questions.

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FORS Bronze and Silver Compliance

At Seguro we are here to assist you gaining and maintaining you FORS accreditation (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme)

To pass FORS Bronze you need to submit evidence of the below:

• Policies and procedures
• Risk assessments
• Checklists
• Supporting tool box talks
• Walk round training
• Spot checks

Seguro can assist with compliant documentation and advice on how to implement these items.

This will then be audited by an independent assessor who will visit your premises and audit the completed paperwork.

If you require FORS Silver you will need to gain FORS Bronze first and hold this for at least 3 months before progressing to Silver. Moving to FORS Silver isn’t quite as challenging as gaining your initial Bronze accreditation, but you will need to demonstrate that you’ve consistently maintained your standards and are ready to step up to the next level.

Examples of the areas that come under the spotlight include:

A targeted training programme:

• Better working practices
• More efficient vehicles
• If any of your vehicles is more than 3.5 tonnes, you’ll also need to equip them with audible warning systems covering left turns, reversing and blind spots. You’ll be asked to produce evidence such as invoices, receipts, and photos.

You will of course also have to pass your Bronze FORS audit every year to maintain Silver status.

There is currently no fast track to FORS Silver–there is a scheme called CLOCS which you automatically attain under FORS Silver–however entry of CLOCS does not grant you FORS Silver.

Get in touch if you would like to speak to us about assisting you.

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There has been a recent announcement from Constructionline CEO John Edmunds to confirm the sale of Construcionline to Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing.

Constructionline have been operating for over 20 years focusing on managing the supply chain in both public and commercial sectors. The main focus of Constructionline will remain the same on a day to day basis with plans to develop the product offering to new and existing customers.

“Since their first European transaction in 1983, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $9B in over 100 companies in 20 European countries, with a focus on partnering with strong management teams to build businesses of scale. They are committed to Constructionline and Acclaim and firmly believe in the long-term growth potential we offer.”John Edmunds CEO

Here at Seguro we are available to help anyone looking to gain accreditation for constructionline including the new level 3 (gold), get in touch if you need any assistance.

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Constructionline have recently launched some new levels within the Constructionline assessment.

Level 3 (Gold) is currently being rolled out by Constructionline and one of the leading construction companies in the UK, so any subcontractors who work with them will need to increase the level they have within the Constructionline online portal.

The new Level 3 (Gold) requires you to complete the following additional questions including policies and supporting information:

• Equality and Diversity
• Environmental
• Quality
• Business Information Modelling
• Acclaim / SSIP
• Supplementary Questions

There are a number of ways you can complete the new sectors, create and submit the documents yourself or approach your current Health & Safety Consultant.

If you require help from a third party consultant please get in touch and we will be happy to let you know the costings based on your individual company needs.

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Constructionline have released their new verified levels of competence today where you now need to decide which level you are looking for:

Turnover

There is also an option for anyone with existing membership to upgrade should you want to visit Constructionline.

If your looking for help or not sure what is needed to upgrade please get in touch.

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Constructionline have recently announced they are going to introduce two new levels to their assessment process. The reason for the new introduction is to ensure that the “one stop shop” they currently operate evolves and continues to cover all the needs of suppliers and buyers.   The new changes are coming into place in summer 2017.

The Level of Constructionline already in place will be classed as Silver membership.

The new levels will be:

Gold Membership – this will feature a much more indepth PQQ covering latest legislation changes including Modern Slavery. This is where you will include a Health & Safety accreditation such as a valid SSIP (Acclaim and CHAS) certificate to the supplier profile.

Platinum membership – this will be introduced to cover high-value contracts or contracts that involve substantial risk,. This will be applicable to contracts that will require an on-premise audit.

We will keep you up to date with the latest information and when these new levels are available. If you have any questions about a current Constructionline application please get in touch.

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Changes to the CDM regulations

There has been some recent changes to the CDM regulations which you can find below:

The HSE has now published a Q&A briefing document to help its own inspectors understand whether work falls under CDM. In doing so it has interpreted the technical wording of the construction definition in an unexpected way.

Good news!

A spokesperson told IOSH magazine that, “where maintenance activity involves construction processes, requires construction skills and uses construction materials, it is most likely to fall within the term construction work. General maintenance of fixed plant which mainly involves mechanical adjustments, replacing parts or lubrication is unlikely to be construction work.”

Note. As a result of this publication the following activities are not considered to be construction work and so are not covered by CDM 2015 :

• treeworks, industrial cleaning, inspection/testing of services, cleaning solar panels, and similar: unless any of these works are associated with a building project
• maintenance of fixed plant such as servicing boilers, lifts and gas appliances; and
• minor repairs, e.g. to doors, floors, walls.

Tip. This work is still covered by other health and safety legislation, but by eliminating CDM from the equation, a more pragmatic approach can be taken.

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Safe Contractor Joining fees

Safe Contractor is part of the SSIP umbrella group and is an assessment of your companies Health & Safety capabilities. It is often a requirement to have Safe Contractor should you wish to work with some private and public sector clients.

There are a number of ways you can apply for safe contractor you can register and complete all the required paperwork yourself or you can enlist the services of a 3rd party consultant. They will provide expert advice and support and help you through the process.

If you are looking for help please see our information available.

The fees listed below are correct as of 25/10/2016

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