SSSTS Training is just the ticket

The Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) is a very popular and well respected qualification to achieve. It is endorsed by the Construction Training Industry Board (CITB), as part of their Site Safety Plus Scheme.

It is aimed at those working in construction who take responsibility for a specific group of workers such as gang or team leaders and supervise the work that their teams are completing.

It addresses the 2010, United Kingdom Construction Group UKCG guidelines which state that all supervisors should have a certificate proving that they have a minimum of two days training. This training must address issues of health and safety including the legal requirements of a supervisor and the skills of how to supervise people. Completing this SSSTS training enables those who pass to work on UKCG sites - some of the largest and best known sites in the UK.

Delegates attending the course are often a mix of supervisors who are returning to complete the qualification after the 5 year validity period has run out, newly qualified supervisors that are attending the course for the first time, and those who are aiming to take on a supervisory role at some time in the future. Many subcontractors and individuals employed by companies are asked to attend the course to ensure they have the correct qualifications for working on site. Also a great number of privately funded individuals attend the course with the aim of working on a UKCG site.

As the SSSTS training course duration is only 2 days and the course is relatively
inexpensive, it is an excellent investment in a supervisor’s professional development.

Delegate’s performance will be tested in two ways, firstly via a multiple choice quiz at the end of the course and throughout the course with regard to their interaction and engagement in the activities set by the trainers.

The aims of the SSSTS training course are: Firstly, to make sure that all supervisors know the reasons behind why they are carrying out the duties entrusted to them. Secondly to ensure that they know what the expectations placed on them are and how to execute their role whilst promoting the safety of their team, themselves and other site workers.

The SSSTS training course covers the following topics of study:

1. Health and Safety issues within construction.
2. Legal requirements for a supervisor.
3. How the supervisors role fits into the management structure on site.
4. Risk assessments and method statements
5. Tool box talks, inducting new members of staff on site, running briefings.
6. How and when to prevent harm in relation to bad practice.

Some delegates find it tough to decide whether the SSSTS training course is for them, as it is often confused with the longer Site Managers Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS). If you have come across this problem it is best to bear in mind that the five day SMSTS course is aimed towards those who are managing the whole site including the supervisors themselves and the CDM regulations. Many supervisors gaining the SSSTS qualification then progress to the SMSTS course at a later date to improve their career development profile. However it is not necessary to have the SSSTS course before enrolling on the SMSTS and although site supervisors and site mangers work closely together on the same projects, they are very distinct roles and the SSSTS and SMSTS training courses do reflect this.