CHAS Documents Checklist: Every File You Need Before You Apply

CHAS (the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) reviews evidence across your health & safety management — and the core documents are predictable. This CHAS documents checklist covers what CHAS asks for in every assessment, so you can gather it before you start rather than scrambling once the portal is open. For a broader overview of what CHAS accreditation involves, see our pillar guide. According to CHAS's published assessment criteria (checked June 2026), contractors must provide evidence across 8 core categories: your health & safety policy, insurance certificates, risk assessments, method statements (RAMS), training records, maintenance records, construction phase plans and COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) records. Gather these before you start and you'll typically pass first time — missing documents adds weeks to your approval and accounts for the majority of first-time rejections.

The CHAS documents checklist

These are the document categories the CHAS health & safety assessment reviews, what CHAS is actually looking for in each one, and the wording or gaps that commonly fail. Have each ready as a current PDF before you begin. (CHAS H&S assessment criteria, checked 05/06/2026)

1. 1
   Health & safety policy. CHAS wants a written policy signed and dated by a director or senior manager, naming who's responsible for H&S day to day. What fails: generic templates that still show another company's name, or a policy that's more than 12 months old with no review date.
2. 2
   Insurance. Employers' Liability and Public Liability, as a schedule or broker's letter showing policy number, limit, excess and expiry date. Missing or expired insurance is the most common rejection reason in first-time assessments and typically adds 2–3 weeks to your approval while you chase a current certificate from your broker. What fails: a renewal notice or quote instead of the actual schedule, or cover that's expired by the time the assessor opens it.
3. 3
   Risk assessments. These need to cover the activities you actually carry out, not a generic construction template. What fails: assessments copied from another trade, or ones with no named assessor, review date or specific hazards for your work.
4. 4
   Method statements (RAMS). Required for higher-risk tasks — working at height, hot works, confined spaces and similar. What fails: RAMS that don't match the risk assessment they're paired with, or missing sign-off from operatives.
5. 5
   Training records. Competence cards and certificates for everyone doing the work — CSCS, first aid, plant tickets, asbestos awareness where relevant. What fails: no training matrix showing who holds what and when it expires, so the assessor can't see coverage across the team at a glance.
6. 6
   Maintenance records. For any plant or equipment you use — inspection and service records, PAT testing where applicable. What fails: gaps in the log, or records for equipment you no longer use with nothing for what's replaced it.
7. 7
   Construction phase plans. Required where your work falls under CDM 2015. What fails: submitting a generic plan template with no site-specific detail.
8. 8
   COSHH. Procedures and records for any hazardous substances you handle. What fails: a COSHH policy with no substance-specific assessments attached.

Top 6 reasons CHAS applications get rejected

Most first-time rejections come down to a small, repeatable set of gaps rather than anything unusual. Fixing these before you submit is the single biggest thing you can do to pass first time.

1. 1
   H&S policy wording that's too generic or unsigned. Assessors want to see a policy specific to your business, signed and dated by a director, with a named responsible person.
2. 2
   Out-of-date insurance. A schedule that expired last month, or a renewal quote submitted instead of the live certificate — this is consistently the most common single rejection reason.
3. 3
   Missing training matrix. Individual certificates without a matrix showing who's trained in what, and when each certificate expires, makes it hard for the assessor to confirm coverage.
4. 4
   Risk assessments that don't match the work. Generic or copied templates that don't reflect your actual trade or site activities.
5. 5
   RAMS and risk assessments that don't line up. Method statements referencing hazards that aren't in the paired risk assessment, or vice versa.
6. 6
   Incomplete COSHH records. A general COSHH policy with no substance-specific assessments for what you actually use on site.

Reuse it across schemes

Because CHAS is SSIP-approved, SSIP mutual recognition means the same core evidence largely satisfies other SSIP schemes too, including the Common Assessment Standard question set — see the full contractor compliance documents checklist for the master pack, which lives under our evidence pack pillar. Keep this pack current and you'll sail through your accreditation renewal deadlines too. For the full picture of what CHAS accreditation involves beyond just documents, see the CHAS accreditation pillar guide. If you're still choosing between schemes, compare costs and features in CHAS vs SafeContractor vs Constructionline, or see detailed pricing in CHAS cost.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need for CHAS?

CHAS requires a health & safety policy, Employers' and Public Liability insurance certificates, risk assessments, method statements (RAMS), training records, maintenance records, construction phase plans where relevant, and COSHH procedures and records. Some trades need additional role-specific evidence. Having all 8 categories current before you start typically results in first-time approval.

Do I need a written health and safety policy for CHAS?

Yes. CHAS requires a written H&S policy signed and dated by a director or senior manager, with a named person responsible for H&S. A generic or unsigned template is one of the most common reasons applications get sent back, so make sure it's specific to your business and current.

Does CHAS need my insurance certificate?

Yes — CHAS asks for your insurance as a schedule or broker's letter showing the policy number, the limit of cover, the excess and the expiry date, for both Employers' Liability and Public Liability.

Will the same documents work for SafeContractor or Constructionline?

Largely yes. All three assess the same SSIP core health & safety criteria, so the same evidence pack applies — though each scheme has its own portal to upload to. Keep one current master folder and reuse it.

What are the most common reasons a CHAS application gets rejected?

Expired insurance, a generic or unsigned H&S policy, missing training matrices, risk assessments that don't match the actual work, RAMS that don't line up with their risk assessment, and incomplete COSHH records account for most first-time rejections. See the checklist above for what to check in each document before you submit.