Trade Safety DocsOrder

Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP)

Accreditation help: CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS

Many councils, housing associations and main contractors only use firms with a recognised health and safety accreditation. We prepare the documents and evidence the assessors look for, so your application goes through first time.

Get it written for you

Updated · Written from HSE guidance and the regulations · Sources

Accreditation help: CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS: summary

What SSIP is

SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is the umbrella body for health and safety pre-qualification schemes in the UK. Its member schemes, which include CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS Worksafe and others, assess contractors against a common core of questions. Because members recognise each other's assessments, one accreditation can be accepted where another is asked for, though buyers sometimes insist on a particular scheme.

What assessors usually ask for

  • A health and safety policy that fits your business, signed and dated.
  • Risk assessments and method statements for the work you do.
  • COSHH assessments.
  • Arrangements for access to competent health and safety advice.
  • Training records and cards for your workers.
  • Toolbox talk records, accident reporting arrangements and insurance documents.

How we help

  1. You tell us which scheme you are applying to and send what you already have.
  2. We review it against the scheme's questions and list the gaps.
  3. We write the missing documents for your business: policy, risk assessments, RAMS, COSHH, toolbox talks.
  4. You submit the application and pay the scheme's own fee. If the assessor asks for changes, we make them.

Trade Safety Docs is independent and not affiliated with any accreditation scheme. Scheme fees are paid directly to the scheme and aren't included in our price.

CHAS, SafeContractor or SMAS: which one?

All three are SSIP member schemes and assess health and safety competence. The right one is the one your clients ask for. Councils and housing associations often ask for CHAS; facilities management contracts often ask for SafeContractor; SMAS Worksafe is popular with smaller contractors. Check with your client before you pay for an application.

Common reasons applications are sent back

  • A health and safety policy that names roles the business doesn't have, or isn't signed and dated.
  • Generic risk assessments that don't match the trade on the application.
  • No evidence of access to competent health and safety advice.
  • Missing COSHH assessments for products the business obviously uses.
  • No training records or toolbox talk records.

Each of these is fixed by documents written for your business, which is what our starter safety pack provides.

Frequently asked questions

What is CHAS accreditation?

CHAS is a health and safety assessment scheme and a member of SSIP. Contractors complete an online questionnaire and submit documents such as their health and safety policy and risk assessments to show they meet the standard clients expect.

Which accreditation should I get?

Get the one your clients ask for. If they just say 'SSIP accredited', choose the member scheme that suits your size and trade.

How long does accreditation take?

It depends on the scheme and how ready your documents are. Having your policy, RAMS and COSHH assessments ready before you apply is the biggest time saver.

Do you guarantee a pass?

No one can guarantee a pass, because the scheme's assessor decides. We make the changes the assessor asks for on the documents we prepared at no extra cost.

Sources

This guide is written from the legislation and HSE guidance below. Last checked 23 October 2026.