Safety Checklist for Contractors (VCA)
Does your company perform assignments at locations involving a high safety risk, such as the risk of explosion, fire, or personal injury? Your client may ask for a Safety Checklist for Contractors (SCC) (Veiligheid Checklist Aannemers, VCA).
SCC certification is used to review the safety policies of supplier companies. This way, you can show that you comply with a number of statutory requirements under the Working Conditions Act (Arbowet).
SCC certificates are in high demand in the following areas:
- electrical engineering
- scaffolding construction
- civil engineering
- transport
- (petro)chemistry
Check the full list of disciplines that need SCC certification.
How to obtain SCC certification
To obtain an SCC certification, follow these steps:
- use the SCC checklist to find out which requirements concerning safety, health and environment you have to meet
- if you do not yet meet all requirements, you have to draw up an action plan
- once you have implemented all action points in your action plan, your SHE management system is up to the required level
- apply for certification from a recognised certification body
For a more detailed list of the steps above, take a look at VCA’s roadmap.
How to apply for recertification
When you receive your SCC certificate, you are automatically registered in the Central Certification Register (in Dutch). The certificate is valid for 3 years, as long as you keep meeting the requirements. The certification body visits every year to see if you do.
Do you want to stay certified after 3 years? You will have to be recertified. If the SCC requirements have changed, you will have to meet these new requirements.
SCC certificates in other countries
Not all countries use the same system as SCC, but some countries do accept an SCC certificate:
- Belgium and the Netherlands use the same system. SCC certificates are equivalent in both countries.
- France uses the Manuel d’Amélioration Sécurité Santé Environnement des Entreprises (MASE). The Netherlands accepts MASE for all SCC certification levels. France only accepts the SCC Petrochemicals certification level.
- Germany uses the Sicherheits Certifikat Contraktoren (SCC). This is a slightly different from the Dutch SCC, but certificates are accepted on both sides.
- Austria uses the Sicherheits Certifikat Contraktoren (SCC). Certificates are accepted on both sides.
Other countries do not (yet) use safety systems comparable to SCC. SCC certificates are not automatically valid there, nor are certificates issued there automatically accepted in the Netherlands.