SMSTS courses - professional, construction specific health and safety training for site managers.

The SMSTS CITB course is endorsed by the Construction Training Industry Board (CITB). It is one of the courses that combine to create their Site Safety Plus Scheme. The scheme written in cooperation with the CITB, consists of the following separate courses : 1 day Health & Safety Awareness , 1 day Achieving Behavioural Change (ABC), 2 day Site Supervisor’s Safety Training Scheme, 3 day Site Safety for Shopfitters and Interior Contractors, 2 day Site Management Safety Training Scheme Refresher Course, 5 day Plant Managers Safety Training Scheme, the 2 day Plant Managers Safety Training Scheme Refresher and the 2 day Site Sustainability Simplified.

Arguably the SMSTS CITB is the most popular of all the Site Safety Plus courses, due to its flexibility and the practical need for the training. United Kingdom Construction Group Sites require their site managers to hold the qualification as a way of preserving their workers health and safety and maintaining high professional standards. By completing the SMSTS CITB course, delegates can be sure that they are meeting the expected professional standards expected of them in industry.

Flexibility is one key feature of the SMSTS CITB course. Delegates can choose to complete the entire course, including the assessment in a full working week. This is a great option for those site managers who need to complete the course in a hurry. This is usually known as a block course. Managers taking on new contracts or those that have recently been promoted, often choose this route.

The other option is to complete the SMSTS CITB course over one day a week. This lasts for five weeks in total. This is a convenient way of completing the course for those that have busy site schedules and do not want to miss too much time on site. It is also a good option for delegates with home and family commitments, as many people choose to commute for the day release rather than stay away for the whole week.

Those looking to complete the SMSTS CITB course must remember that whether they choose the block course option or the day release option, they must attend all five days to receive their certificate. This is because the CITB requires delegates to complete a minimum number of hours training and the course length meets this standard.

Another feature of the SMSTS CITB course is that it lasts for five years and once the certificate has reached the end of its validity period, delegates can complete a refresher course. The SMSTS refresher course is 2 days long and means that managers can maintain their professional training without the cost of repeating the full five days. It also saves mangers three days away from site and three days of commuting, compared to completing the full five day course again.

Delegates attending the SMSTS course can expect to experience a combination of activities over the five days, including trainer lead discussions, presentations, videos, model risk assessments, model tool box talks and a multiple choice assessment at the end of the course.