What Accreditations Should Your Kitchen Cleaning Contractor Have?

Not all kitchen cleaning contractors are equal. The accreditations a contractor holds tell you a great deal about their standards, their insurance position, and whether they will actually protect you in the event of a claim. Here is what to look for — and what the badges actually mean.

Why Accreditations Matter

When a kitchen extract fire occurs, insurers and investigators look closely at the contractor who carried out the last clean. If that contractor was not properly accredited, was not on the BESA Vent Hygiene Register, or did not carry adequate insurance, the consequences fall on you as the operator — not the contractor.

Accreditations are not just marketing badges. They represent independent verification that a contractor has been assessed against defined standards for health and safety, technical competence, and insurance. For Scottish operators working with facilities management companies or public sector clients, many contracts now require specific accreditations as a condition of appointment.

BESA Vent Hygiene Register (VHR)

The Vent Hygiene Register is maintained by BESA — the same organisation that publishes TR19. Membership is the clearest signal that a contractor is genuinely TR19-compliant. To join the VHR, a contractor must demonstrate that their technicians are trained to the required standard, that they carry appropriate insurance, and that their cleaning processes meet TR19 requirements.

When you use a VHR-registered contractor, the TR19 certificate they issue carries real weight with insurers and EHOs. A certificate from a non-registered contractor may not be accepted as evidence of compliance.

You can verify VHR membership directly on the BESA website. Deep Clean Scotland has held VHR membership since the register was established.

CHAS Elite

CHAS (the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) is one of the UK's leading health and safety pre-qualification schemes. The Elite tier is the highest level of CHAS accreditation and requires a contractor to demonstrate compliance across a comprehensive range of health and safety criteria — including risk management, environmental management, and quality management systems.

CHAS Elite is widely recognised by NHS Scotland, local authorities, and large facilities management companies as a condition of contractor approval. If you are a facilities manager or procurement officer, a CHAS Elite contractor has already passed a rigorous independent assessment — reducing your due diligence burden significantly.

SafeContractor

SafeContractor is another widely used health and safety pre-qualification scheme, particularly common in the private sector and among large FM companies. It assesses contractors against health and safety legislation, insurance requirements, and industry-specific standards.

Many Scottish facilities management companies and large hospitality groups require SafeContractor accreditation as a minimum for any contractor working on their sites. Holding both CHAS Elite and SafeContractor means a contractor has been assessed by two independent bodies — a strong indicator of consistent standards.

Common Assessment Standard (CAS)

The Common Assessment Standard is a UK-wide pre-qualification standard developed to reduce duplication in contractor assessment. It is recognised by major procurement frameworks and is increasingly required for public sector contracts in Scotland. CAS covers health and safety, environmental management, quality management, and financial standing.

PVG-Checked Technicians

This is not a contractor accreditation, but it is an essential requirement for any contractor working in regulated environments in Scotland. The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, administered by Disclosure Scotland, is required for anyone working in regulated activity with children or protected adults.

For kitchen cleaning contractors, PVG checks are essential when working in care homes, hospitals, schools, and other settings where vulnerable people are present. If your contractor cannot confirm that their technicians are PVG-checked, they should not be working in those environments — and you as the operator may be liable if an incident occurs.

What to Ask Before Appointing a Contractor

Before appointing any kitchen extract cleaning contractor in Scotland, ask:

• Are you on the BESA Vent Hygiene Register? Can you provide your registration number?
• Do you hold CHAS Elite or SafeContractor accreditation?
• Are your technicians PVG-checked?
• What public liability insurance do you carry, and can you provide a certificate?
• Will you provide pre- and post-clean grease depth measurements?
• Will you issue a TR19 compliance certificate on completion?

A reputable contractor will answer all of these questions without hesitation. If a contractor is evasive or cannot provide documentation, that is a significant warning sign.

Deep Clean Scotland's Accreditations

Deep Clean Scotland holds CHAS Elite, BESA Vent Hygiene Register, SafeContractor, and Common Assessment Standard accreditations. All of our technicians are PVG-checked. We have been providing TR19-compliant kitchen extract cleaning across Scotland since 2002.