CHAS or Constructionline accreditation - which is best? And how do you decide which one is right for your business? Health and safety are everything to a business these days, especially in high-risk industries such as the construction industry.
Did you know that 138 workers have been killed in work-related accidents in 2023/24 with most incidents being in the construction industry (51 deaths)?
Many different accreditations can be useful for your business, but today we will be discussing CHAS and Constructionline and exploring which one is best - read on to find out more.
Introduction to the CHAS Accreditation
CHAS is an assessment scheme that looks into your business’ Health & Safety practices. CHAS assesses the competence in the work you carry out. It is used across the construction industry and beyond.
The CHAS accreditation demonstrates to potential clients that you follow the correct standards according to the law. This includes your management giving your employees the right level of training from the appreciative courses to help aid the safety of your business.
CHAS also falls under the umbrella SSIP scheme (Safety Scheme in Procurement), which is a widely recognised scheme that aims to pull together a range of health and safety assessment schemes under one scheme. The SSIP scheme is used particularly in the construction industry.
What is the Constructionline Accreditation?
Before we decide whether CHAS or Constructionline is best, let’s introduce you to Constructionline and tell you more about it.
Constructionline is a type of accreditation scheme. It is widely used across the UK within the construction industry and many other industries such as transport, logistics and recruitment.
The Constructionline accreditation offers many benefits for a business. Constructionline has 4 different levels of accreditation and the one you aim for will depend on your business and your company goals.
Constructionline Gold is the Common Assessment Standard accreditation, which tends to be the most popular level of Constructionline.
The Constructionline accreditation is a type of online scheme that helps businesses showcase themselves to others and potential clients.
The Constructionline risk assessment will look at all aspects of your company, including your documentation. This includes areas such as:
- Your company’s finances
- Directors
- Operations
- Diversity
- Equality policies
- Health and Safety protocols
With Constructionline, you will also have to show that you abide by the areas of legislation such as:
- Anti-bribery
- Equal opportunities
- Corruption
- Insurance
- Drug and alcohol policies
These are just a few areas of the accreditation. Constructionline is an online portal where you can update your documents and information and receive feedback on them.
There are also different levels to Constructionline, depending on the level of accreditation you want to achieve and which one is the right one for you.
These levels include:
- Constructionline Bronze
- Constructionline Silver
- Constructionline Gold
- Constructionline Platinum
Each level supports a slightly different level of Constructionline with different sets of criteria as the levels get higher. Constructionline Gold tends to be the most popular level of accreditation and is requested by most of the major buyers on the portal.
The Difference Between CHAS and Constructionline
Understanding the difference between Constructionline and CHAS is key when choosing between the two.
Not only this but understanding which one is the right one for you can be tricky, especially when both accreditation schemes complement each other and are so widely used across the areas of construction.
At Beaconrisk, we are here to help you understand some of the key differences between CHAS and Constructionline so you can make an informed decision.
The CHAS and Constructionline accreditations are both held through online portals that can be accessed by thousands to increase visibility and raise your profile as a construction company whilst showcasing your reliability. Here are some of the key differences between the two:
| CHAS | Constructionline |
|---|---|
| Focuses on health and safety and is used more widely across more industries | Focused on corporate social responsibility areas |
| Assesses and accredits companies against certain health and safety criteria | Acts as a procurement platform |
| Offers standard and advanced accreditation levels | Offers different levels including the Constructionline Gold membership |
If you are aiming to gain both accreditations for your business, you can help speed up the Constructionline accreditation process by gaining the CHAS accreditation first.
This is because CHAS is a member of the SSIP which has a lot of benefits and is widely recognised by suppliers and buyers.
You can also use your CHAS accreditation certificate to support the documentation that is needed to obtain accreditation for Constructionline.
Gaining your CHAS certification first saves you lots of time by cutting out the additional paperwork that you would need for Constructionline without your CHAS certificate.
Constructionline and CHAS both require an assessment fee to be paid upfront. Only when you gain your accreditation award will you have access to your certificate and online membership.
Prices will vary for each depending on your company size, turnover and the level of accreditation you wish to achieve.
How Can Beaconrisk Help with CHAS and Constructionline?
Whichever accreditation you wish to go for, at Beaconrisk, we are here to help you. Both CHAS accreditation and Constructionline accreditation can be useful, benefit your construction business and showcase your compliance with regulations and the law.
If you need more help in deciding which is best for you and would like some general advice about these accreditations or any other accreditation or services we offer at Beaconrisk, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
Accreditation can be time-consuming and complicated, which is why it is so important to get an expert to help you speed up the process and make it as stress-free as possible.
At Beaconrisk, we are experts in accreditations. We offer support from choosing the right accreditation and level for you, right the way through the whole accreditation process.
We can handle and help you with all the paperwork that comes with gaining accreditation, so you can become a more recognised and accredited company in no time!