CHAS Accreditation Documents Required for Each Level

CHAS, the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme, now operates as Veriforce CHAS and offers three contractor packages: CHAS Standard, CHAS Advanced and CHAS Elite. Each level asks for a wider set of documents, starting with core health and safety evidence and building up to the full Common Assessment Standard.

Every package requires a written health and safety policy, trade-specific risk assessments, method statements (RAMS), training records and insurance details. Advanced and Elite then add documents covering environmental management, quality, financial standing, equality and diversity, modern slavery and other business areas.

It pays to know which package you need before you gather anything. Since PPN 03/24, the public sector Standard Selection Questionnaire references the Common Assessment Standard, which is what CHAS Elite certifies against.

This guide breaks down the documents assessors expect at each level, so you can prepare one submission and pass first time.

The Three CHAS Packages

CHAS Standard (from £429 per year plus VAT) is the entry-level package. It consists of two modules, a health and safety assessment and insurance verification, judged against the SSIP Core Criteria by NEBOSH-qualified assessors, typically within around 10 days (48 hours on the fast-track service).

CHAS Advanced (from £659 per year plus VAT) covers 10 risk management areas through a single pre-qualification questionnaire. It builds on the Standard modules with environmental, quality, financial standing, equality and diversity, modern slavery, identity, anti-bribery and corporate standing sections, aligned to SSIP and the former PAS 91, which BSI has withdrawn.

CHAS Elite (from £909 per year plus VAT) certifies against Build UK's Common Assessment Standard across 13 risk management areas. Veriforce CHAS is one of seven Recognised Assessment Bodies for the standard, and Elite is the package that maps to public sector works pre-qualification.

CHAS is also a founding member of SSIP, in place since the scheme began in May 2009. Under SSIP's Deem to Satisfy arrangement, a contractor already holding a valid certificate from another SSIP member, such as SafeContractor or SMAS, can obtain CHAS Standard without repeating the health and safety assessment.

Documents Required for CHAS Standard

The Standard health and safety module reviews five core document sets. Assessors judge them against the size and scope of your business, so a small contractor is not expected to produce corporate-scale paperwork.

1. Health and Safety Policy

A written health and safety policy is a legal requirement if you have five or more employees, as HSE guidance confirms. Assessors look for a current, signed and dated policy that states your general approach to managing health and safety and says clearly who does what, when and how.

2. Risk Assessments

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must identify hazards, judge how likely and how serious harm could be, and act to control the risk. CHAS assessors want trade-specific examples that reflect the work you actually do, not generic templates.

3. Method Statements and RAMS

Method statements show how the risks you have identified are controlled in practice across your typical activities. Out-of-date or unsuitable RAMS are a common cause of failed first submissions, so review them before you upload anything.

4. Training Records and Competence Evidence

Provide qualification certificates and a training matrix showing the workforce is trained for the tasks set out in your RAMS. Assessors check that records are complete and consistent with the trades you have declared.

5. Insurance Documents

Submit employers' liability and public liability details through an insurance schedule or a broker's letter. It should show policy numbers, limits, excess and expiry dates, because the Standard package includes a dedicated insurance verification module.

Where relevant to your work, assessors also ask for COSHH assessments and procedures, equipment maintenance and inspection records, and a sample Construction Phase Plan if you carry out projects covered by CDM 2015.

Additional Documents for CHAS Advanced

Advanced introduces the wider business modules. You will need a written environmental policy supported by management system evidence; ISO 14001, BS 8555 or EMAS certification is accepted in its place. Quality is evidenced through ISO 9001 certification or equivalent quality assurance documentation.

Financial standing is checked through audited accounts, insurance documents and cash flow evidence. CHAS states that its verification makes allowances for SMEs and newer businesses, which can show financial standing in alternative ways.

You also need an equal opportunities policy with evidence of recruitment practices and diversity records, plus a modern slavery policy or statement. A published annual statement under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is only a legal duty at £36 million turnover or more, as GOV.UK guidance explains, so smaller firms are assessed on proportionate policy and due diligence.

Finally, Advanced asks for documented anti-bribery and corruption procedures, together with identity and corporate and professional standing declarations, such as company registration details and confirmation of no relevant convictions.

What CHAS Elite Adds

Elite certifies against all 13 Common Assessment Standard risk management areas, so everything above still applies. On top of that, you need information security evidence showing UK GDPR-compliant data protection arrangements, information management procedures covering design and document control, and corporate social responsibility evidence.

The Common Assessment Standard also includes a Building Safety section, added in July 2024 to demonstrate organisational capability under the Building Safety Act. It was advisory for its first year and became mandatory with the 1 July 2025 question set update, which also revised the corporate standing, environmental and fairness, inclusion and respect sections.

Elite is offered at two certification levels: a full desktop assessment or a CHAS Assured on-site audit, where an assessor samples live documents on site. If you bid for public sector works, Elite is the package that aligns with the Common Assessment Standard referenced in PPN 03/24.

Quick Reference

Document	Required from
Health and safety policy (signed and dated)	All packages
Trade-specific risk assessments	All packages
Method statements (RAMS)	All packages
Training records and competence evidence	All packages
Insurance schedule or broker's letter	All packages
COSHH assessments, maintenance records, Construction Phase Plan	All packages, where relevant to your work
Environmental policy and management system	Advanced and Elite
Quality management evidence (ISO 9001 or equivalent)	Advanced and Elite
Financial standing evidence	Advanced and Elite
Equality, diversity and inclusion documents	Advanced and Elite
Modern slavery policy or statement	Advanced and Elite
Anti-bribery procedures and corporate standing declarations	Advanced and Elite
Information security, information management, CSR and Building Safety evidence	Elite only

Common Reasons Assessments Fail

• Generic risk assessments that do not match the trades declared on the application.
• Out-of-date RAMS, or method statements written for work the business no longer does.
• A health and safety policy that is unsigned, undated or written for a much larger organisation.
• Training records that do not cover the tasks described in the RAMS.
• Insurance evidence missing policy numbers, limits or expiry dates.
• Applying for Advanced or Elite without the environmental, modern slavery or financial documents ready.
• Overlooking the Building Safety section, mandatory in the Common Assessment Standard since the July 2025 update.

How Policy Pros Can Help

We write the documents CHAS assessors actually read. Our health and safety policies service covers the signed policy, risk assessments and safe systems of work the Standard package requires, written for your trades rather than adapted from a template.

For contractors, our construction policies and procedures service covers RAMS, COSHH and CDM documentation alongside the environmental, modern slavery and equality policies the Advanced and Elite packages ask for.

If you are weighing up schemes, our SSIP accreditation policies guide explains the core criteria shared by every SSIP member scheme. And if your clients ask for a different badge, our SafeContractor accreditation documents guide sets out the equivalent requirements for that scheme.