What does SMSTS stand for?

SMSTS stands for: Site Management Safety Training Scheme. The Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) course provides the necessary training needed to meet the demands employers need for health and safety compliance. It is a recognised industry-standard course specifically aimed to impart the knowledge that construction managers need to meet their legislative demands.

How long does SMSTS last?

  • The certificate is valid for 5 years.

  • You will need to take the SMSTS Refresher course before your certificate expires.

  • Remember to renew SMSTS certficate every five years before it expires by doing the SMSTS Refresher course. Otherwise, you’ll need to take the full SMSTS course again.

How to gain SMSTS certificate?

To gain the Site Safety Plus certificate you must attend the training. If you can’t attend the full course, you’ll need to enroll and take the course again. You may be charged extra to cover the costs of switching courses. You will also need to pass the exam and take part in the course exercises.

The SMSTS certificate

Holding a CSCS card and the SMSTS certificate means you have the appropriate knowledge to work in a supervisory position on a building site and that you know how not to put yourself or your team of construction workers at risk.

The level of training card and certificates you possess will ensure that you are not placed in positions that are outside of your professional training and experience level.

All CSCS cards and SMSTS training certificates have an expiry date and will need renewing before the card or certificate expires for them to remain valid. The status of your SMSTS certificate can be checked online to make sure that it is still valid.

The SMSTS certificate is valid for 5 years and you will need to complete a refresher course for your certificate to remain valid. The course includes everything you need to top-up your knowledge so you can continue to work in your chosen role without interruption.

You can check the status of your SMSTS certificate using the online card checker. You can use the service to check the status of all your cards and construction training courses.

How to check SMSTS certificate?

To check the validity of a cardholder, you can access the online-card-checker and enter at least two items of information about the individual you want to check. Any of the following combinations are acceptable:

  • Surname & Individual ID/Registration Number
  • Surname & National Insurance Number
  • Date of Birth & Individual ID/Registration Number
  • Date of Birth & National Insurance Number

When using the card check facility, please note that it will not recognise temporary NI numbers or anyone under the age of 18.

To check your SMSTS certificate status click here.

The importance of holding an SMSTS certificate

The SMSTS training course is unlike the CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) training course in that candidates are not issued with a card on completion of their training. The SMSTS training course issues a certificate of training on qualification rather than a card, and this certificate can be added to your CSCS card to show employers your additional qualifications when applying for a construction job.

The CSCS card is universally recognised as a way for construction workers to prove their level of proficiency and training to construction employers. The card scheme was introduced to help reduce on-site accident rates because of the high level of workplace accidents and fatalities that have historically happened on construction sites.

Since it’s the introduction, the CSCS training scheme has helped to lower the number of accidents in the construction industry because every employee has been trained to a high standard of on-site health and safety awareness. Employers now use the card scheme as a way to attract the right candidates when recruiting new construction staff.

What is SMSTS course?

Taken over the course of few days (usually 5 days), this training is aimed at construction site managers, agents and any persons who are involved in monitoring, administering, controlling and organising staff and workforces.

All relevant legislation regarding the safety aspects of working in construction environments and civil engineering industries will be covered. There will be an emphasis on the need for risk assessments to take place, the implementation of safety measures and the need for clear communication with the workforce to foster and maintain a good Health & Safety culture on site.

The course is designed to help site managers and all supervisory staff to:

  • Administer Health & Safety measures within the context of their management or supervisory role
  • Develop an understanding of responsibilities and accountability for site health, safety and welfare
  • Manage Health & Safety on-site in accordance with current legal provisions
  • Recognise a safe site is efficient, economical and productive

SMSTS course topics

The course could include the following training topics:

  • Accident costs, causes, investigation, prevention and reporting requirements
  • Behavioural science including awareness of human error
  • Development of ‘safe systems of work’ and permit systems
  • Effective communicating
  • Introduction to health and safety law, duties, responsibilities, enforcement and sanctions
  • Management of Contractors
  • Overviews/explanations of relevant construction activity legislation
  • Risk assessment and ‘principles of prevention’
  • Safety management systems, policies, plans, performance and measuring

The course could cover such topics as occupational health hazards, the latest safety regulations, practical site safety training, first aid training, environmental safety and food safety etc. Those who successfully pass the training course should also make sure they attend a two day refresher course to ensure the continued validity of their certificate because otherwise it will expire after five years.

The refresher course (usually 2 days course) enables qualified participants to update their knowledge about current health and safety laws and practices and also learn any new techniques of site management safety that may be been recently brought in.

The SMSTS along with the CITB construction skills site safety training was created to not only train construction site managers, but also any other staff members who are personally responsible for any construction site management activities. This can include people visiting the site to work temporarily such as plumbers, electricians, building maintenance staff etc.

Any employee of a construction company is eligible to join this course irrespective of whether he or she has done such a course previously or not.

Benefits of SMSTS course

On successful completion of the course, the candidate will receive the CITB accredited certificate. Following this training the candidate will be able to:

  • Implement all health, safety, welfare and environmental legislations which affects them on a daily basis in the workplace
  • Implement new guidance and industry best practice according to the latest legislation
  • State their duties and responsibilities with regards to health, safety, welfare and the environmental safety of the site

Who is the course for?

As well as existing construction site managers, this course is for anyone with responsibilities in any element of site management such as contract, project, foremen or engineers, quantity surveyors and planners, as well as those people currently in training to hold such positions. Generally any person within the building, construction and civil engineering industries, who has site management duties should consider this course.

What CSCS Card Can I Get with SMSTS?

If you are looking to work as a site manager, the SMSTS course is seen as a basic and mandatory qualification. The course runs over 5 days and gives you a deeper understanding of legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act and current Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations.

The course provides intensive training in carrying out risk assessments or compiling method statements and also focuses on specific work practices such as operating from height and carrying out demolition work among other activities.