Safety Schemes in Procurement, or SSIP, is a forum which was founded in 2009 by industry, and with support of the HSE, to streamline prequalification and encourage straightforward mutual recognition between its Member Schemes.
SSIP acts as an umbrella organisation to facilitate and maximise mutual or cross-recognition of health and safety assessments between SSIP member schemes, utilising the SSIP Core Criteria which is aligned to the Government-backed construction pre-qualification document PAS 91, ensuring consistency for construction sector supply chains.
The 2007 Construction (Design & Management) Regulations introduced the Stage 1 Core Criteria for assessing health and safety competence of contractors and consultants working in the construction industry.
Over the next two years industry stakeholders became the founder members of the scheme, signing up to an ethos that SSIP should act as an umbrella organisation to facilitate mutual recognition between health and safety assessment schemes wherever it is practicable to do so.
SSIP assessments are all judged on the core criteria (threshold standard) approved by HSE. The core criteria describe what it means for a business to comply with basic health and safety legislation. The core criteria were initially published by HSE in Appendix 4 of the CDM 2007 Approved Code of Practice and following the revision to the CDM Regulations in 2015 the SSIP Forum agreed to adopt the Core Criteria to become part of the SSIP Terms of Reference.
As of 2023, there are around 82,000 suppliers registered with an SSIP Member Scheme.
Being certified against the requirements of ISO45001 & SSIP provides confidence to both current and potential buyers of your organisation’s services that your systems for managing workplace health and safety have been independently assessed and found to be compliant with the standard and scheme.
This assessment may be part of a pre-qualification process and be a pre-requisite to commercial tendering. Clients can be assured that suppliers who have been assessed and certificated by an SSIP Forum Member Scheme have achieved the initial threshold of competence to provide specific services.
SSIP operates a Deem to Satisfy (DtS) agreement for mutual (or non-mutual) recognition which is in place amongst all SSIP Members, and hence there may be time and cost savings for your organisation when working with new buyers. Valid approval by any registered forum Member is displayed on the SSIP Portal.
There are four different types of SSIP Forum membership, but Health and Safety Assessments are only undertaken by either Registered Members or Certification Body Members.
As a Certification Body Member, SCS provides SSIP certification in tandem with ISO45001, where the core criteria are assessed in line with the relevant clauses of the OHSMS Management System Standard during the relevant audit activity.
As a UKAS Accredited management system certification body, audit activity is conducted in accordance with the requirements of ISO17021 and
To apply for ISO45001/SSIP Certification and start your Health & Safety Management System assessment journey, complete our enquiry form here.
