HIGHWAYS QUALITY & COMPLIANCE
National Highway Sector Schemes (NHSS)
Specialist quality management requirements for organisations working on the UK road network, supported by ISO 9001 and sector-specific standards.
UNDERSTANDING NHSS
What are National Highway Sector Schemes?
National Highway Sector Schemes (NHSS) are bespoke quality management systems for organisations working on the UK road network. They are based on ISO 9001, with additional requirements for particular highways activities rather than duplicating the standard.
There are more than 20 individual schemes, covering activities such as fencing, landscaping, vehicle safety restraints, road surfacing, road marking and traffic management.
The schemes aim to ensure work is completed to high professional standards by properly trained and competent personnel, with particular emphasis on health and safety.
Where the Specification for Highways Works (SHW) applies, organisations supplying covered services to National Highways generally need certification for the relevant schemes unless the contract documents state otherwise.
QUALITY MANAGEMENTNHSS
Built for the highways industry
ISO 9001 principles with specific requirements for the work your organisation undertakes.
WHO NEEDS CERTIFICATION?
Who needs to be certified?
NHSS schemes are developed and managed by technical advisory committees, with representatives from industry and interested organisations such as local authorities, trade associations and certification bodies.
The original Eryri page groups the schemes into four broad areas:
Fencing, landscaping and vehicle safety restraints
Traffic management
Lighting, electronics and corrosion protection
Current National Highways guidance groups schemes into eight categories. See the official guidance below for the latest classification.
SECTOR SCHEME DOCUMENTS
National Highway Sector Scheme documents
Each scheme has a set of Sector Scheme Documents (SSDs) describing minimum certification requirements, including competence, training and quality plans. The table below reproduces the scheme numbers and titles listed on Eryri Consulting's original page.
| Number | Scheme |
|---|---|
| 2A | Design and/or Supply, Installation and Repair of Fences for Infrastructure Works |
| 2B and 5B | Vehicle Restraint Systems |
| 2C | Environmental Barriers (Structural) for Infrastructure Works |
| 3 | Stocking and Distribution activities for Mechanical Fasteners |
| 3B | Stocking and Distribution Activities for Structural Steel Products |
| 4 | Preservative Treatment and Supply of Treated Timber |
| 6 | Minor Structures |
| 7 | Application of Road Marking Materials & Road Studs to Paved Surfaces |
| 8 | The Overseeing and/or Installation and/or Maintenance of Highway Electrical Equipment and Supporting Works |
| 9 | The Design, and/or Manufacture and/or Assembly and/or Provision of Permanent Road Traffic Signs |
| 10A | The Manufacture of Metallic Legacy Vehicle Restraint Systems |
| 10B | Permanent Vehicle Restraint Systems Incorporating NHSS2B & NHSS5B |
| 12A/12B | Static Temporary Traffic Management on Motorways and High Speed Dual Carriageways, Including On-Line Widening Schemes |
| 12C | Mobile Lane Closure Traffic Management on Motorways and Other Dual Carriageways |
| 12D | Installing, Maintaining and Removing Temporary Traffic Management on rural and urban roads |
| 13 | Supply and Application of Surface Treatments to Road Surfaces |
| 16 | Quality Management of the Laying of Asphalt Mixes |
| 17/17B | Vehicle Recovery at Highway Construction Sites (NHSS 17) and Vehicle Recovery and Removal on Control Roads including storage (NHSS 17B) |
| 18 | Natural Environment and Landscape Including Ecology for Infrastructure |
| 19A | Corrosion Protection of Ferrous Materials by Industrial Coatings |
| 20 | Execution of Steelwork in Transportation Infrastructure Assets |
| 22 | Management, Operation, Installation and Maintenance of Road Tunnels |
| 23 | Small Scale Pavement Repairs |
| 29A | Land Drilling – Geothermal Drilling |
| 30 | Installation, Maintenance and Repair of Modular Paving |
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Certification, registration and subcontracting
UKAS-accredited certification
Certification is carried out by certification bodies accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). Bodies may be accredited for individual NHSS schemes.
Relevant scheme coverage
Where the SHW forms part of the contract, organisations carrying out covered work must generally be registered under the relevant scheme unless the contract states otherwise.
Subcontractors
A contractor subcontracting all the covered work need not necessarily hold the scheme registration itself, but the subcontractor carrying out that work must be registered. Certification cannot be borrowed under another supplier's umbrella.
NHSS may be relevant to:
Main contractors and subcontractors working on motorways or trunk roads
Contractors and subcontractors working on or beside roads, including landscaping work
Manufacturers, installers and repairers of products covered by a scheme
Highway designers and consultants
Schemes may also be relevant to industrial, commercial or private land development, or railway and inland-waterway work, particularly where the work is near or adjacent to a road.
WORK WITH ERYRI CONSULTING
How can Eryri Consulting Limited help?
Eryri Consulting Limited is a professional ISO consultancy based in North Wales. The team supports organisations of all sizes with certification and registration under the relevant National Highway Sector Schemes.
NHSS requirements may be addressed alongside your ISO audit. If your business already holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, Eryri can help integrate the requirements of the relevant NHSS into your existing management system.
Learn more about ISO 9001:2026OUR APPROACH
Identifying → Implementing → Influencing → Improving