Why You Should Take A SMSTS Refresher Course

With safety as the priority, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Construction skills mandate that both construction employers and site managers prove their competency by taking the SMSTS course every five years. The SMSTS (Site Manager Safety Training Scheme) certificate shows that you are skilled in site safety.

Why take the SMSTS refresher course?

Firstly, the Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulation legally require that all construction employers and site managers be competent in site health and safety. Secondly, it is the standard in the industry that once you have decided to devote yourself to site safety, that you must renew the SMSTS certificate every five years with the refresher course.

Who should take the SMSTS refresher course?

The purpose of the SMSTS refresher course is to update previously qualified site managers and employers on the current safety procedures and best practice. As a result, it is different from the full CITB SMSTS course. While the full course takes 5 days to complete, the SMSTS refresher course takes just 2 days to complete.

As a requirement to taking the refresher course, you must present the certificate for the full SMSTS course taken in the last five years. It is important to note that the SMSTS certificate expires every five years.

What SMSTS refresher course covers...

The purpose of the SMSTS refresher course is to help site managers and construction employers stay up-to-date on the current health and safety compliance on site. The course will cover the following topics;

• The current focus of HSE on construction
• Management of contractors
• The effective use of communication tool kits and site induction during consultations.
• Overview of upcoming legislation
• General safety awareness with regards to human error, stress and its prevention.
• Syndicate exercises
• Accident statistics, management responsibilities, cost, prevention, and methods.
• The practical aspect of compliance.

SMSTS Refresher Course Assessment

The SMSTS refresher course is a two-day training course that concludes with an exam assessment containing 25 questions. Five critical questions must be answered correctly to pass. The assessment is set up in a way that there is a multichoice question worth a point, and the critical safety questions vary between 1 and 3 points. The good news is that this SMSTS refresher course does have a success rate of 80% among delegates.

SMSTS Refresher Course Certification

For delegates to be certified, they have to ensure that they are in attendance for the entirety of the two-day course. They cannot afford to miss any part of the session. After the assessment, delegates will be award the SMSTS certificate should they pass. The certification can take up to eight weeks before delegates receive them. Therefore it is advised that if anyone is looking to take the refresher course, it is recommended to apply before their current certificates expire.

CITB Grants

CITB often offer grants to delegates for some safety and skill courses. However, the grants often go to the employees of companies taking the initial SMSTS course. The SMSTS Refresher is also eligible for the grant reclaim.  It’s a Tier 3 course and qualifies for a £60 reclaim.