SSIP Certificate: What Does Deem to Satisfy Mean?

If you’re a contractor, you may have been asked to provide an SSIP certificate to demonstrate your health and safety competence. But if you already hold an accreditation, do you need to complete another assessment?

This is where Deem to Satisfy can help.

What Is Deem to Satisfy?

Deem to Satisfy (DTS) is a process within the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) framework that allows an existing, recognised health and safety assessment to be considered by another participating scheme.

Rather than repeating an equivalent assessment, contractors may be able to use their existing SSIP accreditation to meet the relevant requirements.

This can reduce duplicated paperwork, save time and simplify health and safety compliance.

How Does SSIP Deem to Satisfy Work?

SSIP member schemes assess businesses against common core health and safety requirements, including:

• Health and safety policies and procedures
• Risk assessments and safe working practices
• Employee training and competence
• Workplace risk management

Because participating schemes share core assessment standards, an existing accreditation may be recognised by another scheme.

However, Deem to Satisfy does not guarantee automatic approval. Your existing certificate must be valid and meet the receiving scheme’s requirements. Additional client or project specific conditions may still apply.

Deem to Satisfy can help contractors:

• Save time by reducing duplicate assessments.
• Reduce administration by avoiding unnecessary paperwork.
• Support tender applications by demonstrating assessed health and safety competence.
• Simplify compliance when working with clients who recognise their existing accreditation.

Before applying for another SSIP certificate, check whether your current accreditation meets your client’s requirements.

An appropriate SSIP accreditation can help demonstrate your business’s health and safety arrangements when working with clients and principal contractors.

If you’re unsure which accreditation you need, or whether your existing assessment may be recognised through Deem to Satisfy, it’s worth checking your options before starting another assessment.

Need help with SSIP accreditation?

What does Deem to Satisfy mean in SSIP?

It means an existing, recognised health and safety assessment may be accepted by another participating scheme against equivalent requirements.

Does Deem to Satisfy guarantee approval?

No. Acceptance depends on the validity and scope of your existing accreditation and the receiving scheme’s requirements.

Can I use one SSIP certificate for multiple clients?

Potentially. Acceptance depends on the client’s requirements and whether the relevant scheme recognises your existing assessment.

Disclaimer: SSIP recognition and acceptance depend on the participating schemes and applicable assessment criteria. Always confirm requirements with the relevant scheme.