SafeContractor vs CHAS: Which Health & Safety Accreditation Do You Actually Need?
SafeContractor and CHAS get confused constantly, and it's easy to see why — both are health and safety pre-qualification schemes, both ask for broadly similar documentation, and both exist to save buyers from running their own safety vetting process. But they're not interchangeable, and which one you need often depends less on your business and more on who you're trying to sell to.
What They Actually Check
Both schemes review risk assessments, method statements, policies, training records and incident history — the overlap in criteria is substantial. Where they differ is more in emphasis and presentation than in fundamentally different standards of safety being demanded.
Who Accepts Which
This is usually the deciding factor in practice. Different buyer networks have settled on different schemes as their default — facilities management and construction-adjacent buyers lean toward one or the other inconsistently enough that checking your specific target clients' requirements matters more than any general rule.
Do You Need Both?
If you're bidding across a genuinely broad client base, holding both isn't unusual — the incremental cost of a second accreditation is often lower than completing repeated bespoke safety questionnaires for clients who specifically require the one you don't have.
There's no universally "better" choice between the two — the right answer is whichever one your actual target clients are asking for. Check your last five lost or stalled tenders before deciding where to invest first.
Need Help With This?
Our compliance team can walk you through exactly what your business needs.
Book Free ConsultationKeep Reading
More Articles
5 Signs Your Security Company Needs SIA ACS Accreditation
If you're noticing any of these patterns in your tender results, ACS accreditation might be the missing piece.
ISO 9001 vs ISO 45001: What's the Difference and Do You Need Both?
Two of the most commonly confused ISO standards, explained in plain English for security businesses.
How to Pass Your CHAS Assessment First Time
Common reasons CHAS applications get rejected — and how to avoid them.