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Replies

• 

  Matthew Amos December 12, 2010 at 10:08pm

  I looked into it this year. Dont quote me. I think it was £120.00 a year with employees below 10 or 15. Unless your doing work for councils etc who are asking for it when you tender its not worth having. My brothers boss said the paperwork is also heavy and can get complicated. Please dont quote me though its only what ive heard.
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk December 13, 2010 at 3:15pm

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• 

  Steve Sonic Grounds Maintenance December 13, 2010 at 4:46pm

  
  Well i do 90% commercial contract maintenance work now so i believe one or the other would be a benefit to my business.

  I thought construction line was meant to make the task of filling in tender questionairres alot easier? I didnt think it was meant at construction but any field of work.

   

  How hard was it to gain the safe contractor award?

  
  Brian Moore said:

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• 

  Steve Sonic Grounds Maintenance December 13, 2010 at 4:47pm

  Thanks steve

  will look into it now.
  
  The Garden Co said:

  steve  i have the ccsng  behind me , which shows companys that i have been on a safety course and not a d---head so to speak , a responsible person who values safety not to himself but to others too, its getting more that companys want contractors to produve such  certs , its another string to your bow , it only helps , xx  lasts for 3 years then a refresher , think i payed about £170  fort eh 2day course
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk December 13, 2010 at 7:24pm

  Unfortunately you still have to go through all the rigmaroll of PPQ's and tendering even whn you do achieve the accreditation. As I said it was a hell of a paperwork. You gota draw up and submit hard copies of your risk assessments, method statements, coshh and health & safety proceedures etc. That means when you use a hedge cutter, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, when you use a mower, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, in other words you must be able to show that you have a documented safe working practice in place for all and every operation you carry out. The thing is though, as you do mainly commercial works, in a couple of years from now ALL companies will be asking you for some kind of H & S acceditation, SAFEcontractor and CHAS ARE the industry leaders on H & S. Also you will soon find that insurance companies will start to include that in their small print for supplying cover a reasonable prices, I informed my insurance company when I got accredited and they were delighted.

  It goes down a treat with commercial customers also. Lets be honest here, there are a lot of cowboys out there, this will help weed them out.

  It costs about £300.00 to register and have your documents looked over by them an I have to say they are very helpful all the way through the process to accreditation.

  Would be happy to help you get started on it. Send me an email at   brianmoore@talk21.com   if you want to go for it.

  Regards

  
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Well i do 90% commercial contract maintenance work now so i believe one or the other would be a benefit to my business.

  I thought construction line was meant to make the task of filling in tender questionairres alot easier? I didnt think it was meant at construction but any field of work.

   

  How hard was it to gain the safe contractor award?

  
  Brian Moore said:

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• 

  Steve Sonic Grounds Maintenance December 13, 2010 at 10:08pm

  
  Hi Brian

  Thanks for the offer, really appreciate it.

  I have just ordered the forms to be sent to me from safe contractor.  I have decided to go for it, the money outlay is minimal compared to the benefits.
  It will improve my company profile, and in the future, potential clients will look fondly on it.

  Once i get the info sheet and forms through i will email you for some advice if thats ok?

  Many thanks again Brian

  Steve
  Brian Moore said:

  Unfortunately you still have to go through all the rigmaroll of PPQ's and tendering even whn you do achieve the accreditation. As I said it was a hell of a paperwork. You gota draw up and submit hard copies of your risk assessments, method statements, coshh and health & safety proceedures etc. That means when you use a hedge cutter, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, when you use a mower, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, in other words you must be able to show that you have a documented safe working practice in place for all and every operation you carry out. The thing is though, as you do mainly commercial works, in a couple of years from now ALL companies will be asking you for some kind of H & S acceditation, SAFEcontractor and CHAS ARE the industry leaders on H & S. Also you will soon find that insurance companies will start to include that in their small print for supplying cover a reasonable prices, I informed my insurance company when I got accredited and they were delighted.

  It goes down a treat with commercial customers also. Lets be honest here, there are a lot of cowboys out there, this will help weed them out.

  It costs about £300.00 to register and have your documents looked over by them an I have to say they are very helpful all the way through the process to accreditation.

  Would be happy to help you get started on it. Send me an email at   brianmoore@talk21.com   if you want to go for it.

  Regards

  
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Well i do 90% commercial contract maintenance work now so i believe one or the other would be a benefit to my business.

  I thought construction line was meant to make the task of filling in tender questionairres alot easier? I didnt think it was meant at construction but any field of work.

   

  How hard was it to gain the safe contractor award?

  
  Brian Moore said:

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk December 13, 2010 at 10:22pm

  Glad to be of help, had a look at ccsng also, imo, not worth a hoot as far as landscaping is concerned doesn't cover anything like what you are going to need in the future for commercial work. The way safecontractor works is, that they get you to "zero in" on your exact fields of operations and you have to meet their criteria on every level. Sounds a bit daunting at first, but trust me, this will "up" your company profile no end and if you work hard and are quick enough, you will get accredited BEFORE the new season starts and it will help with winning work come january / february when the tenders and quote request start coming out.

  Bung me an email when your ready

   

  regards
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Hi Brian

  Thanks for the offer, really appreciate it.

  I have just ordered the forms to be sent to me from safe contractor.  I have decided to go for it, the money outlay is minimal compared to the benefits.
  It will improve my company profile, and in the future, potential clients will look fondly on it.

  Once i get the info sheet and forms through i will email you for some advice if thats ok?

  Many thanks again Brian

  Steve
  Brian Moore said:

  Unfortunately you still have to go through all the rigmaroll of PPQ's and tendering even whn you do achieve the accreditation. As I said it was a hell of a paperwork. You gota draw up and submit hard copies of your risk assessments, method statements, coshh and health & safety proceedures etc. That means when you use a hedge cutter, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, when you use a mower, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, in other words you must be able to show that you have a documented safe working practice in place for all and every operation you carry out. The thing is though, as you do mainly commercial works, in a couple of years from now ALL companies will be asking you for some kind of H & S acceditation, SAFEcontractor and CHAS ARE the industry leaders on H & S. Also you will soon find that insurance companies will start to include that in their small print for supplying cover a reasonable prices, I informed my insurance company when I got accredited and they were delighted.

  It goes down a treat with commercial customers also. Lets be honest here, there are a lot of cowboys out there, this will help weed them out.

  It costs about £300.00 to register and have your documents looked over by them an I have to say they are very helpful all the way through the process to accreditation.

  Would be happy to help you get started on it. Send me an email at   brianmoore@talk21.com   if you want to go for it.

  Regards

  
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Well i do 90% commercial contract maintenance work now so i believe one or the other would be a benefit to my business.

  I thought construction line was meant to make the task of filling in tender questionairres alot easier? I didnt think it was meant at construction but any field of work.

   

  How hard was it to gain the safe contractor award?

  
  Brian Moore said:

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• PRO

  Gary RK December 13, 2010 at 10:52pm

  Steve, echo Brian's comments SAFEContractor & CHAS are the main requirements. As mentioned to you paperwork is onerous, but at the end you will know it has been worth it.
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk December 14, 2010 at 11:00am

  I dont "misunderstand" anything about ccsng, its NOT an accreditation even worth considering for our industry. I have CSCS, CPCS, SAFEcontractor, UKPIA and NPTC certifications.......ALL VERY RELEVENT and neccesary to the trade. If you ask most people they wont even have heard of ccsng ticket, I had'nt,  its got the same relevance as NPORS, its there but very few people acknowledge it as a worthy accreditation. If you are going to spend money on H & S certification its got to be a nationwide accepted ticket. If you want commercial customers to take you seriously then ONLY the above tickets are worth the expense.................IMO.

  Regards 
  
  The Garden Co said:

  brian  the ccsng is not awarded for the safe operation of machinary , but basic knowledge of site safety ! which in my opinion is satisfactory to requitements for companys to work on there sites ,or individuals etc , so its not about landscapers or laggers , its about the individual regardless of ocupations , its well worth the money and fully regonised !!  sorry you feel the safety training of ccsng is not worth it etc , and you fully misunderstood the purpose of such training and should of read what ccsng is about bedore making such comments  ,the safe contractor training is more in depth but with the same benifits !
  
  Brian Moore said:

  Glad to be of help, had a look at ccsng also, imo, not worth a hoot as far as landscaping is concerned doesn't cover anything like what you are going to need in the future for commercial work. The way safecontractor works is, that they get you to "zero in" on your exact fields of operations and you have to meet their criteria on every level. Sounds a bit daunting at first, but trust me, this will "up" your company profile no end and if you work hard and are quick enough, you will get accredited BEFORE the new season starts and it will help with winning work come january / february when the tenders and quote request start coming out.

  Bung me an email when your ready

   

  regards
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Hi Brian

  Thanks for the offer, really appreciate it.

  I have just ordered the forms to be sent to me from safe contractor.  I have decided to go for it, the money outlay is minimal compared to the benefits.
  It will improve my company profile, and in the future, potential clients will look fondly on it.

  Once i get the info sheet and forms through i will email you for some advice if thats ok?

  Many thanks again Brian

  Steve
  Brian Moore said:

  Unfortunately you still have to go through all the rigmaroll of PPQ's and tendering even whn you do achieve the accreditation. As I said it was a hell of a paperwork. You gota draw up and submit hard copies of your risk assessments, method statements, coshh and health & safety proceedures etc. That means when you use a hedge cutter, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, when you use a mower, youve got to have a MS and RA for it, in other words you must be able to show that you have a documented safe working practice in place for all and every operation you carry out. The thing is though, as you do mainly commercial works, in a couple of years from now ALL companies will be asking you for some kind of H & S acceditation, SAFEcontractor and CHAS ARE the industry leaders on H & S. Also you will soon find that insurance companies will start to include that in their small print for supplying cover a reasonable prices, I informed my insurance company when I got accredited and they were delighted.

  It goes down a treat with commercial customers also. Lets be honest here, there are a lot of cowboys out there, this will help weed them out.

  It costs about £300.00 to register and have your documents looked over by them an I have to say they are very helpful all the way through the process to accreditation.

  Would be happy to help you get started on it. Send me an email at   brianmoore@talk21.com   if you want to go for it.

  Regards

  
  
  Steve Wilkinson said:

  
  Well i do 90% commercial contract maintenance work now so i believe one or the other would be a benefit to my business.

  I thought construction line was meant to make the task of filling in tender questionairres alot easier? I didnt think it was meant at construction but any field of work.

   

  How hard was it to gain the safe contractor award?

  
  Brian Moore said:

  Hi Steve,

   

  Construction Line is for construction sites..............mostly and so concentrates on that specific field. Only useful if your doing new site landscape construction work.

  SAFEcontractor is for all industries and covers a whole load of commercial customers. Its a good thing to have if your a predominately commercial landscaper, but will have limited effect on winning you business if you are private works gardener. I got SAFEcontractor accredited this July, and it was warmly received by my existing commercial customers, so here's hoping it will bring new work in, in the new year. Hell of a paperwork to get accreditation though, you need to be well up on Method Statements, Risk Assessments, Health & Safety and COSHH 

  Regards  
• 

  Jonathan Brewster December 14, 2010 at 11:59am

  I agree some years years back we were asked to get the contractor plus accreditation from one client but have just realised that when going for CHAS for a council's contactor list we found that the one we are with means jack all compared to this level. We have a company that we use for all our H & S matters they have advised us that for them to prepare everything to apply will cost £300 and there is no guantee at that as they are so stringent.

  Taking this in mind we have decided to hold off for a few months so we can get the information together in our own time and save the £300.

  These accreditations give qudos to any customer when you have the badge on the paperwork not all companies require to be joined as they usually ask us direct to supply a H & S file