The firm’s health and safety, hiring, environmental and operating standards have been assured by the accreditation, which it gained in late September after a process of around two months.

Printex general manager Melanie Medhurst said that the company’s decision to apply for SafeContractor status had been driven by rising demand from clients.

She told Printweek: “We’re contacted by businesses every day, asking that our engineers are SafeContractor approved. It was becoming more and more prominent in the industry.

“So now it’s nice that we can say that we are accredited, and we do have that approval. I guess it is a safety blanket for customers, knowing that we have gone through that process.”

Medhurst added that the company now has “quite a few” customers that would not have worked with Printex if it had not been accredited.

Printex has few permanent employees, less than ten according to Medhurst, but also has a number of subcontractors with which it has worked for a long time, who are counted when assessing the firm’s SafeContractor status.

Mark Medhurst, Printex’s managing director, said he was excited to have had the company certified.

“For a long time now, we have been playing on an unlevel playing field with organisations undercutting us that we know are not qualified to carry out the work they are quoting for. 

“Having SafeContractor approval ensures the customer is getting value and experience for their money.”