CONSTRUCTION: CHAS
The SAfe choice
I
n 1997, a group of health and safety and procurement
professionals from across Great Britain worked with the
Association of London Government (ALG) to develop
The Contractors Health & Safety Scheme (CHAS). In 2001
CHAS became a web-based system.
In 2013, CHAS became a limited company and is wholly
owned by the London Borough of Merton.
The scheme has now become the largest and fastest
growing Health & Safety Assessment Scheme in the UK.
With 720 buyer members, over 62,000 suppliers on its
database and 130 freelance assessors, CHAS is established
as the market leader for health and safety pre-qualification.
It is available to suppliers (those who provide goods and
services) and to organisations (buyers) looking for suitably
competent suppliers.
PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSE
CHAS started with two main aims:
• To improve health and safety standards across
Great Britain
• To reduce duplicated safety applications for both
suppliers and buyers
Today, CHAS members include more than 500 public
and private sector buyer organisations such as councils,
housing associations, emergency services and NHS trusts,
including a growing number of large private companies
who employ sub-contractors.
24
28
HSE INTERNATIONAL
Each month, thousands of contractors and consultants
(suppliers) apply for work with public and private sector
organisations (buyers), and to win work, they must meet
the buyer’s health and safety standards. CHAS completes
the initial Health & Safety application process for buyers,
saving time and resources for all involved in the process.
•
•
•
•
CHAS assesses applicants:
Health and safety policy statement
Their organisation for health and safety
Their specific health and safety arrangements to a
standard acceptable to our buyers and to others
Assessing suppliers’ health and safety competence is
usually a lengthy and time consuming process. Suppliers
can sometimes meet one buyer’s Health and Safety
standards but not another. Being CHAS approved
reduces duplication as suppliers’ compliance is accepted
by all CHAS buyers.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Health and safety is of paramount importance in any
industry and as a health and safety supplier assessment
scheme, it is vital to CHAS; both in terms of ensuring
its own compliance with legislation and best practice
and ensuring that the service it provides to Buyers and
Suppliers is fit for purpose.
Sarah Still, Business Development Manager Assistant at
CHAS commented, “We undertake quality assurance checks
HSE INTERNATIONAL
29