The abbreviation VCA stands for Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Milieu Checklist Aannemers (Safety, Health and Environment Checklist for Contractors). Context and variants

• In practice, VCA is a certification scheme used in the Netherlands (and adopted in neighboring regions) to confirm that a company and its workers follow safety, health, and environmental guidelines on risky worksites.

• The term is sometimes presented as Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Milieu Checklist Aannemers, and in broader usage you may also see it referred to as VGM (Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Milieu). The underlying idea is the same: a structured checklist and training framework to reduce accidents and improve on-site safety.

What VCA covers

• It includes risk assessment, safe work practices, personal protective equipment, incident reporting, and continual safety improvement within high-risk sectors like construction, petrochemicals, and industrial maintenance.

• A VCA certificate can be held by individuals (certificates) or by companies (company certification), signaling compliance with the required safety standards.

Note on regional usage

• The VCA system originated in the petrochemical sector and has since been expanded to many other industries, becoming a de facto safety standard for many contractors working in risky environments.

If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific country, sector, or explain how VCA differs from similar safety certifications.