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It’s been buzzing for a while but as of January 1, 2022, the ViA (Safety in Procurement) will be mandatory in the Netherlands. This applies to construction companies that perform projects for the government or for construction companies that are members of the Governance Code Safety in Construction (GCVB).

ViA what?

Serious accidents still happen too often in the construction industry. Many of these construction errors or accidents can be prevented by good direction, communication and alertness. A more conscious approach to safety and embedment in the corporate culture will lead to fewer accidents at the construction site.
In order to raise safety in the construction industry to a higher level, the signatories of the GCVB have made joint agreements. This agreement is laid down in the ViA (Safety in Procurement) and will be effective as of 2022. Compliance with the ViA can relate to the selection criteria in a tender or as part of a contract.

Safe on the ladder

The so-called Safety Ladder is used to determine the level of safety awareness in an organization. The safety ladder consists of 5 steps, each indicating the development phase of an organization, with the aim of encouraging organizations to move up one step at a time.
The safety ladder zooms in on the behavior and therefore highlights other aspects than the systems such as ISO 45001 and VCA

Organizations that carry out assignments for the undersigned of the GCVB will have to meet at least step 2.

Honest and independent assessment

Construction companies will have to demonstrate by means of a certificate which level they are at. Depending on the risk profile and the contract value of the tender, the construction company will have to examine how they should certify themselves. It may be that a ‘self-assessment’ must be carried out or that a professional certification body must do this.
Perfact Group’s safety specialists can help you determine which route to take. In addition, we also support and relieve you in going through certain certification processes, processes that are often time-consuming and complicated.

“The certification process, of the ‘self-assessment’ alone for example, does not only consist of filling out an extensive questionnaire, but a ‘gap analysis’ and action plan must also be created. Next, the Ladder Certifying Institution (LCI) will review and verify all documents on the basis of interviews and site visits. Then the LCI determines the ladder step achieved and the certificate is awarded. All in all, a time-consuming process,” says Leon Mullers, Safety and Quality specialist at Perfact.

“We use our expertise and practical experience to ensure that the entire certification process is carried out correctly and we also supervise the associated audits. Valuable time that you as a company can better spend, for example on training employees in the field of safety awareness. A win-win situation for all parties,” Leon concludes.