Hertfordshire Windows & Doors achieves CHAS accreditation

The Contractors Health & Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS), is established as the market leader for health and safety pre-qualification in the UK. It is available to suppliers (those who provide goods and services) and to organisations (buyers) looking for suitably competent suppliers. Each month thousands of contractors and consultants (suppliers) apply for work with public and private sector organisations (buyers). To win work, they must meet the buyer’s health and safety standards.

Assessing supplier’s 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 supplier compliance is accepted by all CHAS buyers.

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

CHAS Benefits:

Participating in the CHAS scheme helps both suppliers and buyers:

  • Suppliers show compliance with important parts of health and safety law (the core criteria described in the CDM regulations)

  • On achieving compliance a supplier is approved to work for all of CHAS’ buyers.(Some Buyers may require “Accredited” Status)

  • Inconsistencies are reduced where some suppliers may be judged compliant by one buyer but not another

  • CHAS gives guidance on any weaknesses in a supplier’s safety management, including how they can improve

  • Being a CHAS supplier or buyer saves both time and resources

The Stages of Assessing Competency

There are three stages in the assessment process from the time a supplier applies for a CHAS assessment, through to working for a buyer:

  1. The CHAS assessment: if a supplier passes this assessment they have shown they can adequately manage health and safety.

  2. The employer (buyer) checks a supplier has the ability, experience and resources to carry out the specific work they have applied to do.

  3. The buyer will look at things like method statements, specific risk assessments, references, examples of previous similar work, training and available resources.

Monitoring the supplier when they are doing the work. Buyers will check suppliers are managing the work safely, carrying out the method statements properly, having enough resources, liaising properly, managing the site effectively and providing enough supervision.
The level of assessment at stages 2 and 3 are normally proportionate to the level of risk they carry. Buyers have a responsibility to monitor suppliers, making sure they are working safely, in order to protect staff and everyone who may be affected by the work.

As a business, we take our health & safety responsibilities very seriously and always aim to ensure that we are providing a safe working environment for our staff and our customers. We are committed to constantly training and supporting staff and reviewing our company procedures to ensure that we continually improve as our business grows.

We are extremely excited about the new opportunities that our CHAS accreditation will provide and hope to develop our commercial work as well as continue working with our residential customers, providing the same outstanding service we provide now.