Guide

CHAS accreditation requirements

If you are about to apply for CHAS, this is the checklist of what an assessor actually asks for, and where most first submissions fall short.

The short answer

A CHAS Standard assessment checks whether your business manages health and safety properly, measured against the SSIP core criteria. In practice that means a signed and dated health and safety policy, risk assessments and method statements for the work you do, training and competence records, evidence of how you monitor and review safety, an accident and enforcement history, and your insurance details. CHAS Standard is the health and safety module of SSIP, so the requirements are the SSIP core criteria that apply to your business, not a separate CHAS-only list.

The core criteria a CHAS Standard assessor checks

CHAS is a founding member of SSIP, and its Standard assessment maps to the SSIP core criteria, which are endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive. For a contractor that is not acting as a designer, principal designer or principal contractor, twelve criteria apply. An assessor works through them one at a time, so a gap on any single one can hold up the whole application.

• Health and safety policy and organisation. A written policy with a statement of intent signed by the most senior person and dated within the last twelve months, setting out who is responsible for what.
• Arrangements. Clear procedures for managing health and safety, proportionate to your size and the work you do.
• Competent advice. Access to a competent person for health and safety advice, with relevant qualifications and, for construction, knowledge of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
• Training and information. A system that keeps everyone trained for their role, evidenced by in-date training records.
• Individual qualifications and experience. Proof that the people doing the work hold the right skills and tickets.
• Monitoring, audit and review. Evidence that you proactively check your own work and review performance.
• Workforce involvement. How you consult your workforce on health and safety.
• Accident reporting and enforcement. A RIDDOR summary for the last three years and any HSE enforcement over the last five, which the scheme verifies against the HSE public register.
• Subcontracting procedures. How you check the competence of any subcontractors you use.
• Risk assessment and safe systems of work. Site or project specific risk assessments and method statements, plus COSHH assessments where you use hazardous substances.
• Co-operation and co-ordination. How you co-ordinate your work with other parties on site.
• Welfare provision. The welfare arrangements for your workforce.

The documents you will actually upload

Translated into paperwork, a CHAS Standard application usually needs: a signed, in-date health and safety policy; risk assessments and method statements for your trade; COSHH assessments if you use chemicals; training and competence records with the certificates to back them up; records that evidence monitoring, consultation, accident reporting and subcontractor checks; and your current employers' liability and public liability insurance certificates. Insurance is not one of the health and safety core criteria, but schemes commonly ask for it as supporting evidence, so have it ready.

Where requirements are judged proportionately

The criteria are applied in proportion to the size and risk of your business. A sole trader is not expected to produce corporate-scale paperwork, and an organisation of four or fewer people without written arrangements may be allowed to describe how it identifies hazards rather than submit a full system. That flexibility is real, but it is not an excuse to leave a criterion blank. Assessors accept a clear statement that something does not apply, with a reason. They query a silent gap.

Related guides

For the full picture, read what CHAS accreditation is, the CHAS document checklist, and why CHAS applications fail. If you are choosing a level, see CHAS levels explained.

Common questions

What documents do I need for CHAS?

A signed and dated health and safety policy, risk assessments and method statements for your trade, COSHH assessments if you use hazardous substances, training and competence records, evidence of monitoring, consultation, accident reporting and subcontractor checks, and your current employers' and public liability insurance certificates.

Are the CHAS requirements the same as the SSIP core criteria?

For CHAS Standard, effectively yes. CHAS Standard is the health and safety module of SSIP, so it is assessed against the SSIP core criteria, which are endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive.

Do sole traders have to meet every requirement?

The criteria are applied in proportion to your size and risk. A sole trader is not expected to produce corporate-scale paperwork, and very small businesses may describe their process rather than submit a full written system, but each applicable criterion still needs to be addressed rather than left blank.

Is insurance a CHAS requirement?

Insurance is not one of the health and safety core criteria, but schemes commonly request employers' liability and public liability documents as supporting evidence, so it is worth having them ready to upload.