CHAS

Chas electrical contractors, chas contractors sheffield, chas contractors uk

CS Electrical is an accredited member of the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS). CHAS is the market leader for health and safety pre-qualification in the UK. In order to be an accredited member of CHAS, CS Electrical has to maintain high health and safety practices at all times.

 

 

Principles and Purpose of CHAS

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 suppliers 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 CHAS buyers and to others.

Background of CHAS

In 1997 a group of health and safety and procurement professionals from across Great Britain worked with the Association of London Government (ALG) to develop CHAS. In 2001 CHAS became a web-based system.

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.

These days CHAS has more than 500 public and private sector buyer organisations, such as councils, housing associations, NHS trusts, including a growing number of large private companies who employ sub-contractors.

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.
• 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

Who audits CHAS

CHAS’s continued founder member status with the HSE supported Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) competence forum, is reliant upon continued annual accreditation by an Independent SSIP appointed Auditor who in turn, has been approved by the Health & safety Executive.
CHAS is also audited annually by the UKAS accredited certification body BM TRADA Certification to both the ISO9001 and ISO14001 standards, thus ensuring their quality and environmental management systems continue to deliver a high quality service and operate in an environmentally friendly manner.

Who are the CHAS assessors

All CHAS Assessors are NEBOSH qualified, practicing health and safety professionals who also attend CHAS specific training on a regular basis. CHAS currently has a team of over 130 accredited assessors.

For more information on CHAS please visit www.chas.gov.uk