Do I need CHAS?
If you are self-employed or a small contractor do I need CHAS. You may be asked to get CHAS or other SSIP certificate. Let us explain the situation to you.
Domestic Market
If you work in the domestic market and want to sail close to the wind, the answer is no, as homeowners will not insist that you work safely.
However, you have a duty of care for yourself and others under UK health and safety legislation. Even working in the domestic market, you will be in trouble if you have a terrible accident or cause harm to others.
Construction Market
The answer is yes if you work in the construction market or want to work there. You will need to have a recognised standard of health and safety.
Main contractors and clients such as local authorities insist that everyone who works for them has a standard of health and safety. They insist as it is part of their health and safety systems.
The most well-known standard is CHAS, but there are other providers of the same standard under the SSIP umbrella. SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is a organisation that manages accreditation suppliers, to ensure they work to the same standards.
The size of your business matters
If you are self-employed or a small contractor with less than 5 employees, you need CHAS or similar, SSIP but you will not be required to employ a competent person safety advisor.
You must employ a competent person safety advisor if you employ 5 or more people, including sub-contractors or other self-employed people. The easiest way to do this is to use a remote competent person safety advisor. We offer this service.
What is CHAS
The Core Criteria and the threshold standard of CHAS and all the other SSIP accreditations is as follows:
- Health & safety policy
- Competent Advice
- Training arrangements
- Monitoring, audit and review
- Workforce involvement
- Accident reporting and enforcement action
- Subcontracting/consulting
- Risk Assessments and Safe Systems of Work
- Cooperations with others
- Welfare provision
- Hazard elimination
The Good News
We are here to support you through the process; we can prepare all the documents, complete the registration forms, and simplify the process. CHAS is expensive, but other providers are very economical. The best thing to do is chat with us and learn more; we can tell you about the costs and the time frame. Our number is 0800 031 5404, or you can complete a form and we will contact you.
