Accreditations

In 2012 the scheme attained ISO 9001 (UKAS) accreditation in recognition of its quality management systems and is now a registered member of SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement forum, the ‘umbrella’ organisation for recognised health & safety schemes in the UK.) This brings further acceptance and credibility to its scheme members as the national standard for arboricultural contracting businesses.

The ARB Approved Contractor scheme offers a recognised benchmark for arboricultural contracting throughout the UK and Ireland and is increasingly required by Local Authorities and other large commercial organisations. ARB Approved Contractor is also of benefit in the domestic sector as a quality mark assuring the client of good quality tree care undertaken safely and efficiently

The Scheme is operated by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service and provides consumers with a list of local businesses who have committed to trade fairly and honestly. The Scheme covers all aspects of home improvement and repair work, including building, carpentry, external property repairs, gardening, decorating and home security. We also include trades that assist elderly and vulnerable people maintain their independence such as cleaners, dog walkers, mobility suppliers and shoppers.

Whilst Lancashire County Council do not “approve” the traders on the Scheme, checks are carried out on the business prior to inclusion on the Scheme including a visit to their business premises and additional checks to ensure they comply with relevant legislation, have necessary insurance policies in place and are members of any regulatory bodies they are legally required to be registered with. Businesses are also required to have been trading for a minimum of 12 months and before being admitted on the Scheme businesses are required to agree to abide by the Code of Practice of the Scheme.

CHAS (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) was created by experienced health and safety professionals in 1997 to improve health and safety standards across the UK.

In partnership with the Association of London Government (ALG), CHAS was a key developer of the core criteria held in the Approved Code of Practice which supported the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (now recognised as CDM 2015) and is a founder member of SSIP(Safety Schemes in Procurement). As one of the founders of third-party accreditation we are not only a trusted advisor on health and safety compliance, we are an authority. We set industry benchmarks, provide assurance and reassurance, and offer best-in-class service s that are easy to use and cost-effective.

This health and safety legislation was created to achieve the following aims:

• To simplify health and safety contractor assessment by standardising requirements.
• To allow companies to avoid undergoing health and safety assessments for every job.

We have more than 900 public and private sector client organisations and 70,000 contractors registered on the CHAS database.

We have Constructionline Silver, Gold and Acclaim. This allows us to work with various commercial partners in the housing and utility sectors.