CHAS for Small Electrical Contractors: What It Means and How to Get It

If you run a small electrical business, sooner or later a client will ask whether you are CHAS accredited. It might be a housing association adding you to its approved list, a main contractor onboarding subcontractors, a facilities management company or a school looking for a maintenance electrician. Without an accreditation they recognise, you may not get past the first stage.

This guide explains what CHAS accreditation means for a small electrical contractor, what the assessment checks, the competence and risk assessment evidence electricians are usually asked for, what to expect on cost and timescale, and how CHAS fits alongside NICEIC, NAPIT and other schemes. For a general overview of the scheme, see CHAS accreditation explained.

Why Electrical Contractors Are Asked for CHAS

CHAS is a health and safety pre-qualification scheme and a founding member of SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement). Its purpose is to save clients from sending every contractor a separate health and safety questionnaire. Instead, the contractor is assessed once, and clients can check the result.

For a small electrical contractor, holding CHAS means:

• An independent check of your health and safety arrangements. A CHAS assessor has reviewed your policy, risk assessments, training and insurance against the SSIP core criteria.
• Access to approved supplier lists. Many local authorities, housing providers, schools, NHS bodies and property managers require SSIP accreditation before they will add a contractor to their list.
• Easier subcontracting. Main contractors have duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to make sure the contractors they appoint have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to work safely. SSIP accreditation is a common way of showing this.
• Less repeated paperwork. Through SSIP’s deem-to-satisfy arrangements, one assessment can often be recognised by clients who ask for a different SSIP scheme.

Clients ask electricians in particular because electrical work combines several serious hazards: electric shock and burns, fire, working at height, and the risk of disturbing asbestos in older buildings. A client that brings you onto its premises or site shares responsibility for how that work is managed, so it wants evidence that your arrangements are sound.

CHAS is not a trade registration

It is worth being clear about what CHAS does not do. CHAS does not assess the technical quality of your installations, and it is not a competent person scheme. Registration with a scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT shows that your electrical work is assessed against BS 7671 and allows you to self-certify notifiable domestic work under the Building Regulations. CHAS shows that you manage health and safety properly. Most commercial clients want both.

What CHAS Checks for Electrical Work

The core of a CHAS assessment is the same for every trade. You will be asked for:

• A health and safety policy with a signed statement of intent, a clear organisation section and arrangements that reflect how you work
• Access to competent health and safety advice, either in-house or from an external adviser
• Risk assessments and method statements for the work you carry out
• Training and competence records for everyone who works for you
• Current employers’ liability and public liability insurance
• Arrangements for accident reporting, first aid, monitoring and review
• How you select and manage subcontractors, if you use them

What makes an electrical submission different is the detail within those headings. Assessors will expect your documents to deal with electrical hazards specifically, not just general site safety. In particular, they are likely to look for evidence of:

• How you comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, including the principle that work should be carried out on dead systems unless it is unreasonable to do so
• A written safe isolation procedure, including proving dead, locking off and signage
• How test equipment is selected, maintained and checked, in line with HSE guidance GS38
• How you manage the risk of asbestos when working in buildings built before 2000
• How you control working at height on ladders, stepladders and towers

The number of questions and the depth of evidence depend on your size and the level of CHAS assessment your clients require. A sole trader will face a lighter assessment than a firm of 20 electricians, but the core principles are the same.

Competence Evidence for Electricians

Competence is where electrical contractors often have an advantage, because the industry already has well-established qualifications and cards. The challenge is presenting them clearly.

Evidence that assessors typically accept includes:

• Competent person scheme registration, such as a current NICEIC or NAPIT certificate, where you hold one
• Electrical qualifications, for example a Level 3 NVQ in electrotechnical services, the AM2 assessment, and qualifications in the current edition of BS 7671 and in inspection and testing
• Industry cards, such as ECS cards, for anyone working on construction sites
• Asbestos awareness training for everyone who could disturb asbestos, refreshed regularly
• Working at height and access equipment training, such as PASMA for mobile towers and IPAF for powered access platforms, where used
• First aid training appropriate to your work and team size
• A training matrix listing each person, their qualifications and any renewal dates
• Supervision arrangements for apprentices, improvers and trainees, showing who signs off their work

Two points are easy to miss. First, the competence of the person responsible for health and safety is assessed separately from technical competence. Being a skilled electrician does not by itself show competence in managing health and safety, so you may need a health and safety qualification or an external adviser. Second, make sure the dates on your training matrix match the certificates you upload and that nothing has expired.

Risk Assessments for Electrical Tasks

Generic risk assessments are the most common reason electrical contractors receive queries. A single assessment titled “electrical work” rarely satisfies an assessor. Instead, prepare separate assessments for the main tasks you carry out, such as:

• Consumer unit and distribution board replacement
• Rewiring in occupied domestic or commercial premises
• Inspection and testing, including periodic inspections and EICRs
• Fault finding, where there may be a need for live testing
• Installing containment, trunking and cable tray at height
• Fire alarm, emergency lighting or data installations, if you do them
• EV charger or solar PV installation, if relevant to your business

Each assessment should cover the hazards of that task and the controls you use. Hazards to consider include:

Hazard	Typical controls to evidence
Electric shock and burns	Dead working as standard, safe isolation procedure, lock-off kits, proving units, GS38-compliant test equipment and justification for any live testing
Arc flash	Isolation where possible, suitable PPE for higher-energy systems and restricted access to work areas
Asbestos	Checking the asbestos register or survey before work, awareness training and a stop-work procedure if suspect materials are found
Working at height	Selection of the right access equipment, pre-use checks, tower inspection and training
Dust from chasing and drilling	On-tool extraction, suitable respiratory protection and face-fit testing where tight-fitting masks are used
Hand-arm vibration	Tool selection, exposure time limits and health surveillance where required
Work in occupied premises	Segregation of work areas, communication with occupants, managing temporary loss of power and fire alarm isolation
Lone working and confined areas such as lofts and ceiling voids	Lone working procedure, check-in arrangements, lighting and emergency plans

Support your risk assessments with method statements for higher-risk tasks. A method statement for a consumer unit change, for example, would set out the sequence from arrival and notifying the occupant, through isolation and proving dead, to installation, testing, reinstatement and certification.

Finally, show that risk assessments reach the people doing the work. Signed briefing sheets or toolbox talk records are simple ways to prove this.

Costs and Timescales for Small Firms

CHAS charges an annual fee. The amount depends mainly on the number of employees in your business and the level of assessment you choose. Sole traders and micro businesses pay the lowest fees, and higher levels, which go beyond health and safety, cost more. Fees are published on the CHAS website and change from time to time, so check the current price for your headcount before you budget.

When working out the real cost, include:

• The CHAS fee itself, which is payable again each year to keep your accreditation
• The time needed to write or update your policy, risk assessments and procedures
• Any training you need to fill gaps, such as asbestos awareness or access equipment training
• Any changes to insurance needed to meet client requirements
• External support, if you use a consultant to prepare your documents or provide competent health and safety advice

On timescales, the preparation usually takes longer than the assessment. A small electrical contractor with good records may be ready to submit within a week or two. One starting from scratch should allow several weeks to put proportionate documents in place. After you submit, the assessor reviews your evidence and either approves it or raises queries. Every round of queries adds time, so a well-prepared first submission is the quickest route to approval.

If a client has given you a deadline, tell them where you are in the process. Many buyers will accept evidence that an application is in progress for a short period, although this is at their discretion.

CHAS Alongside Other Schemes

Electrical contractors often hold several accreditations, and it helps to understand how they fit together.

• Competent person schemes (NICEIC, NAPIT and others): assess your technical competence and the quality of your electrical work. They do not replace CHAS, and CHAS does not replace them.
• Other SSIP schemes, such as SafeContractor and SMAS Worksafe: assess the same core health and safety criteria. Through deem-to-satisfy arrangements, a client that asks for a different SSIP scheme may accept your CHAS certificate, though some clients insist on their preferred scheme.
• Constructionline: a procurement and pre-qualification platform used by many public and private buyers. Higher membership levels include a health and safety assessment.
• ISO 45001: the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. It is more demanding than SSIP accreditation and is usually requested by larger clients or on bigger contracts.

For most small electrical contractors, the practical starting point is to hold a competent person scheme registration for technical work and one SSIP scheme, such as CHAS, for health and safety. Add other schemes only when specific clients ask for them. Our guide to construction compliance explains how the wider requirements fit together.

A Simple Preparation Checklist for Small Electrical Firms

Before you open the CHAS questionnaire, work through this checklist. It covers the evidence electrical contractors are most often asked for, and doing it first means you can answer each question with a document ready to upload.

Policy and management

• Health and safety policy with a statement of intent signed and dated by the owner or managing director within the last 12 months
• Organisation section naming who is responsible for what, including who supervises on site
• Arrangements that cover electrical safety, safe isolation, asbestos, working at height, COSHH, first aid, accident reporting and subcontractors
• Evidence of competent health and safety advice, either a qualification held in-house or an agreement with an external adviser

Risk and safe systems of work

• Task-specific risk assessments for the work you actually do
• A written safe isolation procedure, and records showing that lock-off kits and proving units are available and checked
• Method statements for higher-risk tasks such as distribution board work, work at height and any live testing
• COSHH assessments for products such as sealants, adhesives, cleaning agents and fire-stopping materials
• Signed briefing records showing that operatives have read the relevant assessments

People and competence

• Training matrix covering every employee, with renewal dates
• Copies of electrical qualifications, ECS or equivalent cards, asbestos awareness, first aid and access equipment certificates
• Induction records for new starters and supervision arrangements for apprentices
• Toolbox talk records from the last few months

Equipment, insurance and records

• Test equipment register showing calibration dates
• Portable appliance and access equipment inspection records
• Current employers’ liability and public liability certificates, in the same company name as your CHAS account
• Competent person scheme certificate, if you hold one
• Accident book and near-miss log, or a signed statement confirming no reportable incidents in the last 12 months
• Your procedure for checking subcontractors, with a completed example

If any of these are missing, fix them before you submit. It is quicker to add a missing record now than to wait for an assessor’s query and then have your submission reviewed again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does CHAS accreditation mean for a small electrical contractor?

It means an independent assessor has checked that your business has suitable health and safety arrangements for the electrical work you carry out, including your policy, risk assessments, training, insurance and competent advice. It helps you get onto approved supplier lists and work for larger clients and main contractors who require SSIP accreditation.

Do sole trader electricians need CHAS?

There is no legal requirement to hold CHAS. However, many clients require SSIP accreditation from every contractor they use, including sole traders. CHAS offers assessments proportionate to smaller businesses.

Is NICEIC registration the same as CHAS?

No. NICEIC and similar schemes assess the technical standard of your electrical work. CHAS assesses how you manage health and safety. Most commercial clients ask for both.

What are the most common reasons electricians fail CHAS?

The most common problems are generic risk assessments, a missing or unclear safe isolation procedure, no evidence of asbestos awareness training, an unsigned or outdated health and safety policy, expired certificates and no evidence of competent health and safety advice. Our guide to what evidence a CHAS assessment accepts covers these in more detail.

How often do I need to renew CHAS?

CHAS accreditation is renewed annually. Keep your documents up to date throughout the year so that renewal is a review rather than a rebuild.

Will CHAS help me win work?

CHAS does not guarantee work, but it removes a common barrier. Many buyers will not consider a contractor without SSIP accreditation, and holding it means you can respond to opportunities quickly rather than completing a separate health and safety questionnaire each time.