SQAS (Safety and Quality Assessment for Sustainability) is the system through which Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, assesses logistics companies that transport, store and handle chemicals using standard question sets. The assessment is carried out by independent Cefic-approved assessors. The result is not a certificate but a detailed assessment report that chemical companies interpret according to their own criteria.
Why was SQAS created?
In the 1990s, every chemical company in Europe audited its carriers with its own questionnaire. The same haulier went through dozens of similar audits a year, and chemical companies could not compare the results with each other. To end this fragmentation, Cefic first published the SQAS documents in September 1994. The system is the logistics arm of the chemical industry's voluntary Responsible Care programme.
The logic is simple: a logistics company is assessed once, with the same question set for everyone; the report is uploaded to a common database, and chemical companies use it in their own supplier selection. The assessment covers security, quality, safety, health, environment and corporate social responsibility together. According to SQAS's own data, more than 2,680 companies have been assessed to date.
Which modules does it consist of?
Each assessment consists of two parts. The core questionnaire is put to every company and covers three areas: management; SHEQ (safety, health, environment, quality), security and corporate social responsibility; and the purchasing and control of subcontracted services. A specific module is added depending on the activity:
| Module | For whom? |
|---|---|
| Transport Service | Road hauliers working with their own vehicles and drivers; freight forwarders, intermodal operators and 4PL companies that have no vehicles but organise transport; inland intermodal terminals |
| Tank Cleaning | Cleaning stations for tankers and tank containers |
| Warehouse | Warehouses for packaged and bulk solid chemicals |
| Rail | Rail operators and rail forwarders |
| ESAD (distributor) | Chemical distributors, with sub-modules for sites, food-cosmetics-pharma and chlorinated solvents |
Why is it a report and not a certificate?
SQAS does not produce a pass-fail result. The assessor writes the answer given to each question and the evidence seen into the report, and shows scores and areas for improvement. A result that is sufficient for one chemical company may be insufficient for another company shipping higher-risk substances. That is why SQAS does not declare a logistics company “approved”; the decision rests with the chemical company reading the report. Cefic's guidelines also state clearly that the assessment results not in a certificate but in a detailed, factual report.
How does the assessment work?
- The company engages an assessor trained and approved by Cefic and selects the relevant module.
- A self-assessment is carried out against the question set, and supporting documents are prepared.
- The assessor conducts interviews, reviews records and makes observations at headquarters and on site.
- The report is uploaded to the SQAS database; the company prepares an improvement plan for any gaps.
- An interim assessment is carried out if necessary; a full reassessment is repeated within three years at the latest.
Preparation steps are detailed in the entry on how an SQAS assessment is carried out.
Why does it matter?
Most European chemical manufacturers ask companies that will transport dangerous goods for an up-to-date SQAS report. ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 demonstrate a general management system; SQAS, by contrast, asks chemical-specific questions: ADR training records, driver behaviour monitoring, tank cleaning documents, emergency drills, subcontractor audits. It has sections that overlap with ISO 39001, which focuses on road safety, and ISO 28000, which focuses on supply chain security, but it does not replace either of them. The operational side of chemical shipments is described in the entry on chemical transportation.
How does Voltim Global help?
Voltim Global's SQAS document is available on our certificates page. For dangerous goods (ADR) transport requests from the chemical sector, the type of document and report the customer requires for its supplier assessment is clarified together at the quotation stage.