Scottish Water Contractors Verification

Qualifying to work as a contractor to Scottish Water

Qualifying to work as a contractor to Scottish Water
Scottish Water launched its Health & Safety Charter for Contractors in October 2007.
As a major Scottish client, it is committed to promote high standards of Health and Safety management within the contractors it employees.
      
During 2008, Scottish Water is implementing a list of health & safety approved contractors, only contractors on this list will receive regular work from Scottish Water.

In order to qualify for the Health & Safety Approved Contractors List, we require that all contractors can demonstrate a robust H&S Management system by achieving CHAS accreditation or an Achilles Verify score of at least 75% or OHSAS18001 certification.

There are some instances where accreditation is not required or industry specific accreditations will be acceptable however this is only in the minority of cases and will be confirmed upon receipt of your completed Competency Form.

In order to qualify for the Health & Safety Approved Contractors List, a contractor should:

1. Receive an invitation to register from a Scottish Water employee or be awarded a contract following a formal procurement process
2. Demonstrate competence to carry out specific types of work by downloading and completing the Competency Assessment Form
3. Confirm that they have read and understood:
• Scottish Water’s Health & Safety Charter for Contractors
• Scottish Water’s Health & Safety Information for Contractors

Any queries should be emailed to: approved.contractors@scottishwater.co.uk

Frequently asked questions

Q) Why do I have to get external accreditation of my H&S management system?

A) Scottish Water has a legal obligation to ensure that its contractors are competent at managing Health and Safety. Rather than make our contractors undergo a bespoke SW assessment, we support various national assessment schemes, which are accepted by many clients

Q) What if I decide not to pay for external accreditation?

A) Scottish Water will favour contractors who can demonstrate that they have a robust H&S management. It is unlikely that you will become a health & safety authorised contractor without and external accreditation.