What is SMSTS? Meaning and who needs it

What does SMSTS stand for?

SMSTS means Site Management Safety Training Scheme.

The scheme is set by CITB, the Construction Industry Training Board. Training companies that meet CITB's quality rules deliver the course and run the exam.

Who is the SMSTS course for?

It is aimed at site managers and people about to become one. CITB says it suits anyone who has, or will soon have, responsibility for planning, organising and controlling groups of staff.

CITB sets no formal entry requirements. You should be a site manager or about to become one. Some health and safety knowledge is recommended, and CITB advises people with no health and safety management experience to take the two-day SSSTS course first.

The course is aimed at people who will be responsible for site safety, so link each topic to how you would act in that role.

• Site managers and project managers
• Assistant site managers moving up
• Contracts managers with responsibility for site safety

How long is the course and what does it cover?

The course runs for five days, with a minimum of 37.5 hours of learning, excluding breaks. You need to attend all of it. Providers can run it in a classroom or remotely.

The content centres on health and safety law, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, risk assessments and method statements, health and welfare, general site safety and high risk activities such as working at height, excavations and confined spaces.

The syllabus is split into four areas. Each one has a list of topics your trainer will work through during the five days.

Your provider's course notes will be the full guide, so use this list as a map for your own revision.

• Legal and management: health and safety law, CDM Regulations, risk assessments and method statements, induction, inspection and audit, accident reporting and investigation
• Health and welfare: welfare facilities, mental health at work, COSHH, asbestos, dust, noise, vibration, manual handling
• General safety: site organisation, fire, electrical safety, temporary works, work equipment, lifting operations
• High risk activities: working at height, scaffolding, excavations, underground and overhead services, confined spaces

How does the course end?

There are two things to pass. First comes a trainer review, which is pass or fail and looks at how you took part in the core exercises and the course as a whole. If you fail it, you cannot sit the exam.

Then comes the end-of-course exam: 25 questions in 35 minutes, worth 32 marks. The pass mark is 81% (26 out of 32). The exam is not fully open book. You may use the permitted publications, GE700 and XA6, in the last 15 minutes only.

Ask your training provider how and when you will receive your certificate.

Where do I take it, and how long does it last?

Approved training providers deliver it, either in a classroom or remotely, and CITB lists the course on its find a course pages. Prices and dates vary by provider, so we do not quote any here.

Choose a provider that is approved to deliver Site Safety Plus courses, and ask before you book what is included, such as materials and the exam.

CITB says the certification lasts five years. Before it ends you can retake the course or complete the two-day SMSTS Refresher. Our guide on how long SMSTS lasts covers the detail.

If you want to see how the paper feels, our free practice paper uses original questions written in the same style. It does not replace the approved course.

The course is built around what a manager has to do to keep a site safe, so it helps to link each topic to a job you have seen on a real project.