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 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.
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:
- The CHAS assessment: if a supplier passes this assessment they have shown they can adequately manage health and safety.
- The employer (buyer) checks a supplier has the ability, experience and resources to carry out the specific work they have applied to do.
- 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, have 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.
DW Windows Ltd are proud to state that they were accredited with CHAS in October 2014. 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 the business expands.
We are extremely excited about the new opportunities that our CHAS accreditation will provide and hope to develop future commercial work as well as continue working with our residential customers, providing the outstanding service we provide now.
Paul's journey in the industry has been comprehensive, having served in various roles across different window and door companies in both manufacturing and installations. From fitting and surveying to even making his own glass, his extensive experience has honed his expertise. Paul's expertise in the industry is second to none making him a go-to person of this business as well as colleagues within the wider industry. (It's a true story that Pauls initials are actually PVC!!).
This wealth of knowledge is invaluable in helping homeowners choose DW Windows Ltd for their next home improvement project.
Working closely with the rest of the DW Windows team, Paul has helped homeowners in Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and the rest of the West Midlands improve their properties with beautiful windows, doors, and extensions.
- The Ultimate Guide to Double Glazing Costs: How Much Should You Expect to Pay? - May 15, 2023
- 4 reasons you should invest in bi-fold doors for a West Midlands home - March 7, 2023
- 3 benefits of adding a porch to your home - January 23, 2023
Back to Top