Two of the founding members of a safety umbrella body have dropped out, less than two months after it formed

Safety Schemes In Procurement (SSIP) was set up in April to create a common standard for health and safety prequalification. It was intended to integrate schemes from the Construction Clients Group, Constructionline and the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group as well as groups such as Achilles and Connaught Compliance Services.

But Achilles and Connaught have since said they will not commit to the scheme before seeing how it operates in practice.

A source familiar with the situation said the two were concerned that their commercial interests would be harmed by 鈥済oing down the neutral route鈥�. He said: 鈥淭hey realised there was going to be mutual recognition of the schemes, and that theirs would be challenged by this.鈥�

Connaught said: 鈥淲e have concerns that the way the scheme is positioned could mislead businesses into thinking there is now a single common standard across the board.鈥�

John Murphy, the chairman of SSIP, said the forum was 鈥渧ery disappointed鈥� by the news.

Achilles was unavailable for comment.

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