Guide for small contractors

CHAS application help, done for you

If a council, housing association or main contractor has asked for CHAS before you can get on their list, you are not alone. For a small firm the application can feel like a second job. SML prepares it for you and sees it through to approval.

What CHAS and SSIP actually are

CHAS is one of several health and safety assessment schemes that check a contractor has the right policies and arrangements in place. Others include SMAS Worksafe and SafeContractor. Many of these sit under the SSIP umbrella, which means buyers often accept one in place of another. Your client will tell you which they want, and if they just say SSIP, CHAS is usually a safe choice.

Why applications get sent back

In our experience, applications most often come back for the same few reasons:

• A generic health and safety policy that does not match how the business actually works
• No named competent person, or no evidence of their experience
• Risk assessments and method statements copied from another firm or another job
• No training records, or certificates that have expired
• Missing documents for insurance, accident reporting or subcontractor checks

Each return adds weeks, and the work you wanted to bid for does not wait.

What we do

1. A short call to understand your business, your trades and your team.
2. We write your health and safety policy, tailored to how you work, for your director to sign.
3. We prepare site specific RAMS for your main activities and a training matrix.
4. We gather your insurance and certificates and complete the application with you.
5. We deal with the assessor's questions until it is approved.

Your director is named as the competent person, because the scheme needs someone inside the business. We make sure the paperwork supports that properly.

After you are approved

Most schemes renew every year, and your documents need keeping current between renewals. We can help with renewals, extra RAMS for new jobs, construction phase plans and tender questions too. If you are bidding for council or housing association work, ask about our Tender Ready Pack.

Common questions

How long does it take?

Once we have your information, the documents are usually ready within a week. The scheme's own assessment time then depends on how busy they are, which is why it pays to start early.

Do I have to change how I work?

No. The aim is to write down what you already do safely, and fill any gaps sensibly. A policy that matches real life is also far easier to defend if anything goes wrong.

SML also covers RAMS and CDM documents, CHAS and SSIP applications, DLP and defects inspections, building condition surveys and damp and mould reports.