What Is SafeContractor? The Scheme Explained

Written by Sarah Mitchell, compliance researcher specializing in UK construction accreditation schemes. Sarah has spent five years researching and documenting SSIP member schemes, helping small contractors navigate health & safety compliance requirements across the UK construction sector.

SafeContractor is an SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement)-approved health & safety assessment scheme run by Alcumus. Like CHAS, it checks that your health & safety is in order and issues a certificate a main contractor can accept — and because it's SSIP-approved, that certificate is recognised by other SSIP schemes. It's one of the most commonly requested badges for UK subcontractors.

What SafeContractor actually checks

The assessment reviews your health & safety against the shared SSIP Core Criteria, plus category-specific questions for the type of work you do, and it verifies your insurance. Pass, and you get a certificate valid for 12 months.

How it differs from CHAS

Both CHAS and SafeContractor are SSIP assessment schemes, so the underlying health & safety standard is the same. The practical differences are about speed, support and price:

	SafeContractorAlcumus	CHASVeriforce CHAS
SSIP approved	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Priced by	Headcount	Headcount
Entry cost / yr	from £419	from £429
Published speed tiers	✓ Yes	Assist add-on
Deem to Satisfy	✓ Yes	✓ Yes

SafeContractor publishes four plans (Standard, Assisted, Express, Premier) that differ mainly on turnaround speed and how much help you get with the application, not on what's assessed. The full breakdown is in SafeContractor cost; for CHAS, see CHAS cost.

Major SSIP schemes comparison (2026)

SafeContractor is one of several SSIP-approved health & safety schemes contractors can choose from. Here's how the major schemes stack up:

	SafeContractorAlcumus	CHASVeriforce	ConstructionlineCIPS	AcclaimSMAS
SSIP approved	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Pricing model	Headcount	Headcount	Turnover tiers	Headcount
Entry cost / yr	from £419	from £429	from £74 (Bronze)	from £310
Turnaround time	5–28 days (plan-dependent)	10–60 days (Assist faster)	5 days standard	14 days standard
Deem to Satisfy	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Typical use case	Trade contractors needing fast approval	Most widely named on-site	Public sector PQQs + H&S	Regional contractors, facilities management

Who asks for it, and is it worth it?

Plenty of main contractors and clients accept "any SSIP scheme", in which case SafeContractor is interchangeable with CHAS — pick whichever is cheaper for your size or faster to turn around. Some clients name SafeContractor specifically; if so, you need it by name. Either way, you rarely need it and another SSIP scheme: under Deem to Satisfy one valid SSIP certificate is recognised across members.

Frequently asked questions

Is SafeContractor SSIP approved?

Yes. SafeContractor is an SSIP-approved scheme, so its health & safety certificate is recognised by other SSIP member schemes under Deem to Satisfy.

Who runs SafeContractor?

SafeContractor is operated by Alcumus, a UK compliance and risk-management group. You'll sometimes see it branded "Alcumus SafeContractor".

Is SafeContractor the same as CHAS?

For the core health & safety assessment, effectively yes — both are SSIP-approved and assess against the same SSIP Core Criteria. They differ on price, turnaround speed and which one a given client names. You don't normally need both.

How long does SafeContractor last?

A SafeContractor certificate is valid for 12 months, then you renew with a fresh annual assessment.

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About the author: Sarah Mitchell is a compliance researcher with five years of experience covering UK construction health & safety schemes. She specializes in helping small contractors understand accreditation requirements and has researched over 20 SSIP member schemes. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.