How to Achieve SSIP Certification and Improve Your Safety Standards in Construction

In this detailed guide, we will cover everything you need to know about achieving SSIP certification in the Construction Industry. We will provide an overview of the SSIP core criteria, explore the importance of SSIP certification, and explain how you can use health and safety to gain a competitive edge when bidding for construction projects and win more work. 

What is an SSIP Certificate?

SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is a health and safety recognition scheme that helps businesses demonstrate their compliance with essential health and safety standards in the UK. SSIP is an umbrella organisation acting to minimise the duplication of health and safety assessments across various industries and streamlining the compliance process. Holding an SSIP certification can help companies demonstrate their commitment to workplace safety, making it easier to qualify for contracts, particularly in the construction, manufacturing, and facilities management industries. The certification is supported by UKAS accreditation, ensuring competency and consistency in health and safety compliance across the construction industry.

Understanding SSIP and Its Importance in Construction

Demonstrating SSIP certification is becoming increasingly important for construction subcontractors and main contractors, especially when it comes to submitting bids for public sector contracts.

SSIP as an organisational body follows nine core values that guide its operations and it‘s importance:

• Encouraging mutual recognition between member schemes
• Operating a transparent Deem to Satisfy (DTS) agreement
• Providing confidence through consistent assessment standards led by the SSIP Core Criteria
• Supporting buyers in recognising SSIP objectives
• Helping achieve value for money through reduced duplication
• Demonstrate savings made to buyers and suppliers due to SSIP activity
• Promote their core criteria in non-construction works
• Ultimately, promote the work and value of SSIP
• Actively encourage the standardisation of pre-qualification criteria and common industry standards

Having an SSIP certificate means that you can show contracting authorities that an independent assessor has reviewed your health and safety documentation and processes and confirmed that they meet the industry recognised SSIP Scheme standard. This not only helps save you time and money but also shows contracting authorities that your business is actively prioritising health and safety, which will act to strengthen your bids on projects.

However, SSIP doesn’t only benefit subcontractors and suppliers. As a main contractor or a public sector contracting authority publishing projects, requiring an SSIP certification from your suppliers and subcontractors can help you better manage risk and simplify the procurement process for your construction supply chain. This can save you time during the pre-qualification process giving you more time and resources to focus on the other wider goals of the project.

Want to speed up your PQQ approval processes? Check out Marketplace Find Supplier and discover pre-qualified suppliers for your next project:

The benefits of SSIP certification

	Cost savings: Over 12 months, suppliers and buyers saved £68 million by using SSIP
	Greater visibility: With over 84,000 registered suppliers, the SSIP Portal provides a centralised database for easy verification of certification
	Time efficiency: SSIP certification eliminates the need for multiple health and safety assessments, streamlining the construction procurement process and reducing administrative workload
	Risk reduction: SSIP Certification proves that organisations have followed strict health and safety requirements which helps identify and reduce potential workplace risks

 

How to get a SSIP Certificate?

While an SSIP certificate is a widely recognised way of demonstrating health and safety compliance, SSIP themselves do not carry out assessments. Instead, businesses gain SSIP certification through an assessment carried out by a member scheme, such as Once For All Health & Safety.

If your business is already accredited by one SSIP member, you can request a Deem To Satisfy certificate, which means you don’t have to go through another pre-qualification assessment. This reduces duplication, saving your time and money while ensuring you can demonstrate to main contractors and public sector buyers how your business is meeting industry health and safety requirements efficiently to win more work.

Request a deem to satisfy with Once For All Health & Safety →

Essential Requirements for SSIP Certification

1. Understanding of the SSIP Core Criteria 

All SSIP assessments follow 15 essential Core Criteria, which serve as a threshold standard approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The SSIP Core Criteria act as the foundation for the health and safety assessment, aligning with the Construction Design and Management Regulations,  with a further 3 aimed at designers, principal designers and principal contractors. These criteria cover policy implementation, risk management, and workforce safety.

Learn more about SSIP Core Criteria:

2. Required documentation and evidence 

In order to be able to achieve SSIP Certification, your business will need to be able to demonstrate documentation to show your dedication to health and safety standards. All documents should be up-to-date, signed, and reviewed in the last 12 months. 

You’ll need these key documents: 

• Training records and certificates of competence 
• Proof that health and safety advice is available 
• Complete risk assessments and method statements 
• Insurance certificates and coverage details 
• Records of incident reporting and investigations 

3. Health and safety policy requirements 

You will also need to be able to demonstrate that you have a strong health and safety policy implemented. This policy will need three basic components:  A Health and Safety Policy Statement which shows your company’s commitment and goals*.   This must have been signed by a senior director within the last 12 months. The Organisation section defines everyone’s responsibilities and duties.   The Arrangements section should spell out specific safety procedures.  *Keep in mind that companies with fewer than five employees don’t legally need a written health and safety policy.

However, SSIP certification asks for more than just the legal minimum. Every business, whatever its size, must show clear policy arrangements and implementation plans.

Your policy should also tackle today’s workplace challenges. This includes mental health support, fatigue management, and employee wellbeing programmes. This all-encompassing approach will give your organisation the highest safety standards while meeting SSIP requirements. 

Find out more about who is responsible for health and safety at work →

Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving SSIP Certification

Success with SSIP certification demands a well-laid-out approach. It can help subcontractors, suppliers and main contractors in the construction industry achieve a successful certification faster if you follow a structured application process.

Original assessment and gap analysis  A full analysis of your current health and safety gaps will build the foundation of a successful SSIP application. The first step to undertake is centred on comparing your current health and safety practises against the SSIP core criteria we discussed earlier in this blog, to see whether you align to these core criteria.

Preparing your documentation  Once you have carried out your own initial gap analysis, a qualified health and safety assessor from an SSIP Member, such as Once For All Health & Safety, will review your existing systems and processes and identify areas that need improvement in the form of rejection feedback on your submission. This will include a review of your prepared documentation, as detailed earlier, which should demonstrate your compliance with SSIP core criteria. This proof comes from documented information, records, and testimonials that show your steadfast dedication to health and safety standards. Most questions require tangible evidence to pass rather than explanations.

To get ready for this, it’s important that you prepare the documentation needed for your first review.

Key documentation preparation steps: 

1. Review and update health and safety policies 
2. Compile training and competency records 
3. Gather insurance certificates 
4. Prepare risk assessments and method statements 
5. Organise evidence of safety management systems 

Navigating the application process Your journey to achieving SSIP Certification begins with selecting an SSIP member scheme for assessment. If you submit your application with Once For All Health & Safety, your assigned assessor will conduct a detailed review of your submission. Your organisation must show: Compliance with SSIP core criteria Appropriate CDM duty holder status Effective safety management implementation

Our NEBOSH-qualified assessors might ask for additional information or clarification on specific points.

Upon successful verification, you will receive the Once For All Health & Safety SSIP certificate, and your SSIP portal details will be updated within 48 hours.

Apply for SSIP certification as part of your paid Constructionline membership →

Maintaining and Renewing Your SSIP Certificate

So, you have been able to achieve SSIP Certification what happens next and how do you maintain your certification?

Your business will need to continue to ensure your compliance and documentation is kept updated in order to maintain your SSIP certification each year.

Annual renewal requirements:

SSIP certification follows an annual review cycle for renewals to comply with current health and safety regulations. This will involve reviewing your safety management system to verify continued adherence to SSIP standards.

Continuous improvement strategies:

It’s important that businesses should focus beyond simple safety measures to consider:

Regular training programmes: This approach keeps your workforce current with industry best practices and emerging safety requirements.  Remain committed to safer working environments: By continually evaluating your working environment this will lead to increased focus on competency in health and safety assessments.  Maintaining up to date record keeping: This makes it much easier for you to provide concrete evidence of your ongoing compliance with health and safety legislation and will assist with your renewal

Documentation updates and record keeping:

Proper documentation management becomes significant due to strict compliance requirements. Document retention periods vary:

For instance, Health surveillance and medical reports need 40-year retention from the last entry whilst accident records need three-year preservation from creation date. Ensuring you are keeping your records correctly up to date and stored will make your SSIP renewal much simpler.

Ultimately, SSIP certification needs more than annual renewals. Your organisation needs a proactive safety management approach, regular documentation updates, and commitment to continuous improvement. Proper record keeping and ongoing compliance monitoring help maintain certification status while encouraging a resilient safety culture.

Conclusion 

SSIP certification is a valuable asset for subcontractors, suppliers, main contractors and public sector buyers looking to enhance workplace safety while reducing assessment costs. By implementing effective safety management systems, maintaining thorough documentation, and prioritising regular policy updates and staff training, companies can build a strong framework for compliance.

Beyond meeting regulatory requirements, the SSIP scheme streamlines procurement, minimises redundant assessments, and strengthens a company’s position in competitive industries like construction. More than just a compliance benchmark, SSIP certification demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement and a proactive safety culture, reinforcing trust with clients and stakeholders.

Want to learn more about SSIP certification? Chat to our team of health and safety assessors to find out more: