Contractor Compliance Documents: The Complete Checklist

Most of the work in any accreditation isn't answering questions — it's gathering the evidence. The good news: the SSIP schemes ask for broadly the same core documents, so if you assemble them once and keep them current, you can reuse the same pack across schemes and client questionnaires. This page is the master checklist.

The core evidence every scheme wants

These categories come up in almost every SSIP health & safety assessment, whether you go through CHAS, SafeContractor or another member:

1. 1
   Health & safety policy — a written policy (legally required once you have five or more employees, and expected by assessors regardless).
2. 2
   Insurance certificates — Employers' Liability and Public Liability, shown as a schedule or broker's letter with policy number, limit, excess and expiry date.
3. 3
   Risk assessments — for the typical activities you carry out.
4. 4
   Method statements (RAMS) — how you carry out higher-risk work safely.
5. 5
   Training records — competence evidence: cards, certificates, CPD.
6. 6
   Access to competent H&S advice — in-house or an external consultant.

Scheme-specific detail

The exact upload list varies a little by scheme and by the trade you work in. For the most-requested scheme, we've broken the full list down here:

• CHAS documents checklist — the complete evidence CHAS asks for in its health & safety assessment, item by item.
• Accreditation renewal & expiry deadlines — keeping your evidence current and your certificate from lapsing.

The schemes themselves are compared in the scheme comparison hub, and how one assessment is reused across schemes is explained in SSIP mutual recognition explained.

Why this is the part the product is built to solve

The core assessment is recognised across SSIP schemes — but the documents behind it still have to be re-uploaded, kept in date, and re-supplied to each new client PQQ. Insurance lapses, training expires, RAMS get revised. Tracking all of that across schemes and deadlines is the residual admin that mutual recognition doesn't remove — and the reason we're building a tool for it.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need for SSIP accreditation?

At minimum: a written health & safety policy, Employers' and Public Liability insurance certificates, risk assessments, method statements (RAMS), training and competence records, and evidence of access to competent health & safety advice. Some trades need additional role-specific documents.

Do I need different documents for each scheme?

Mostly no. The SSIP schemes assess the same core health & safety criteria, so the same evidence pack covers them. You may need to re-upload it to each scheme and keep each copy current, but you don't usually need different documents.

How long do these documents stay valid?

It varies by document. Insurance certificates and many training records have fixed expiry dates; risk assessments and method statements should be reviewed whenever your work or the law changes. Accreditation itself is renewed annually, so plan to refresh the pack each year.