Three levels of certification
In SCC certification, three levels are distinguished:
1) VCA* Focused on the direct control of HSE while performing work on the shop floor, without the use of subcontractors.
2) VCA** Focused on the direct control of HSE during the execution of activities on the shop floor, as well as on the HSE structure (including HSE policy, HSE organisation and improvement management).
3) VCA petrochemistry Focuses on the direct control of HSE while performing work on the shop floor, on the HSE structure (including HSE policy, HSE organisation and improvement management), as well as additional requirements specific to the petrochemical industry.
Must-questions/additional questions
The SCC checklist has "must questions" (*/**/petrochemistry) and "supplementary questions" (□). A question is only assessed positively if all minimum requirements and the objective associated with that question have been met and if the relevant documents have been assessed positively. If a must question is declared not applicable, it must be assessed negatively and consequently no SCC certificate can be issued, unless stated otherwise.
Certification criteria
Certification standard VCA*: - all 24 VCA* must-questions
Certification standard VCA**: - all 33 SCC** must-questions - at least six (6) of the 14 supplementary questions
Certification standard VCA petrochemicals: - all 43 VCA petrochemistry must-questions - at least two (2) of the 4 supplementary questions
Application for certification
Any company that operates an HSE management system in accordance with the SCC may ask a SCC-accredited certification body for certification on the basis of SCC*, SCC** or SCC petrochemicals according to the procedure defined here. For the purpose of being able to issue a formal offer (approach, man-days, costs, etc.), the Certification Body will request the necessary data from the company, such as:
- Structure of the company: headquarters possibly branch offices
- Organisation chart
- Number of permanent employees and number of temporary employees
- Number of man-hours per year for permanent employees and for temporary employees
- Number of projects (see definition) in the past year
- Average number of concurrent work locations: total number of places of work at clients' premises, including projects
- Professional activities, requiring specific expertise
- Scope, covered by certification, including NACE code (rev. 2)
- Processes/tasks outsourced and relevant in the scope
- If applicable: name and capacity of the consultant who guided the company towards SCC certification
The Certification Body will send a proposal for an audit programme to the company in a timely manner. This programme will include at least the following items:
- Date(s) and place(s) of audit
- Scope and type of audit (initial, interim, repeat)
- Organisational units (departments) where the study will take place with indication of expected duration
- Visits to projects and other work sites with indication of expected time duration
- The composition of the audit team (auditor and any subject-matter experts), who will perform the certification audit, giving the company the opportunity to object to the choice of one or more audit team members. This objection should be reasoned
Document review (phase 1)
For the purpose of the certification audit, the documentation describing the HSE management system, including the complaint handling system, will be assessed by the SCC auditor, in principle on the contractor's premises. This also concerns the complaint handling, the planning and execution of internal audits and management reviews and the system with regard to follow-up and compliance with relevant applicable legislation. In doing so, the auditor may request additional information from the contractor. The auditor will inform the contractor of its findings based on the documentation review and document them. On this basis, arrangements will be made for the continuation of the review. (Phase 2)
Review implementation (phase 2)
Testing can take place if the contractor's relevant HSE management system has been implemented for at least three months. Assessment of the implementation of the HSE management system and whether that system meets the requirements of SCC is carried out by the relevant SCC auditor in accordance with an audit programme to be drawn up in consultation with the contractor, such as:
- discussions, interviews and checks are carried out with those responsible for the management system at the main site and, if applicable, at branch sites
- at the workplaces, the operational staff and operational managers are checked whether the system has been implemented correctly
- with regard to the accident frequency index (IF), the IF is tested for correctness at workplaces
Audit report
The review of the documentation (phase 1) describing the HSE management system and of the implementation of that system (phase 2) by the contractor is concluded and recorded by the VCA auditor of the certification body with a report in accordance with Appendix A. It contains the findings with all associated data, in accordance with all the verification points listed at each question in the SCC.
Certification
The assessment of the SCC auditor's report is done by the SCC coordinator of the certification body, who then checks both the score and the substantiation of the objective for each question, as well as the minimum requirements considered. After processing any comments and remarks, if necessary after additional examination by the SCC auditor, the SCC coordinator approves the report drawn up by the SCC auditor and signs it. The SCC coordinator submits the report together with his opinion on the certifiability of the contractor to the competent person of the certification body. On this basis, the competent person takes the certification decision.
Period of validity
In principle, the SCC certificate is valid for a period of three years. This depends on the (positive) results of the interim audits, which are carried out on a periodic basis (at least once a year, the first of which is within 12 months). At any time, the Certification Body has the right to suspend, withdraw or declare void the SCC certificate, for example if the contractor does not implement the corrective measures within the specified time.
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