Obtaining VCU certification

Must-ask

The VCU checklist focuses on HSE care for jobs and tasks that temporary workers will perform. The VCU is intended to make the agreements made about the HSE risks during deployment and their control demonstrable. The VCU checklist has only "must questions" (*). A question can only be assessed positively if all the minimum requirements associated with the question are met. If a must-question is declared not applicable, it should be assessed negatively and consequently no VCU certificate can be issued, unless otherwise stated in this checklist for the question.

Certification process

If a temporary employment agency operates a VCU management system in accordance with the VCU, VCU certification can be applied for. This application should be made to one of the certification bodies accredited for this purpose. To make a formal offer (method of certification, audit programme, time commitment, costs, etc.), a number of details must be requested, such as:

• Structure of the organisation
• Location and address and number of main and branch office(s)/organisational unit
• Organisation chart
• Number of employees working at the establishment(s)/organisational unit
• Number of temporary workers per year
• Number of agency hours per year

The certification body sends the temporary employment agency a proposal for conducting the initial audit. This audit programme shall include at least:

• Date, duration and starting place of the audit
• Composition of the audit team (names of auditors)
• The Checklist version under review
• The time plan including:
  - The number of sites to be visited
  - The expected duration

The temporary employment agency must be given the opportunity to object to the choice of one or more members of the audit team. This objection must be substantiated. In this case, the certification body will change the audit team. Assessment of the HSE management system can only take place if the system in question has been implemented within the temporary employment agency for at least three months. Because of the limited number of documents, it is not prescribed that a documentation assessment be carried out by the certification body beforehand.

During the audit, several sites are visited and interviews, interviews and checks are conducted with various employees, including:

• at the headquarters: the persons responsible for the HSE management system
• at the branch(s): managers and intermediaries

Audit report

The VCU auditor's report describes the content and application (implementation) of the SH management system within the temporary employment agency. This report must show that the audit established that the HSE management system used complies with the VCU requirements. In the case of multiple locations, the report must also show that:

• The control and management of the HSE management system from one central point takes place in a satisfactory manner.
• There is assurance across all sites that work instructions, procedures and activities are adequately applied or implemented.