subject: Smsts Course: An Overview [print this page] SMSTS stands for Site Management Safety Training Scheme and was designed specifically with site managers and supervisors in mind. The SMSTS course is accredited by the CITB and is a respected course for proving your health and safety knowledge and competence in the construction industry.
The SMSTS course was developed with the legislation for health and safety in mind. The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 stated that it is the duty of the manager or person in a supervisory position to ensure the safety and wellbeing of employees while at work, which is why it is important that those in a site managers position have a good depth of health and safety training to enable them to identify risks and keep staff member safe.
The SMSTS course gives you the knowledge and understanding covering the laws governing health and safety in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive are the overall authority in this area in the UK and their website is incredibly useful to see what legislation you should be working towards, with a breakdown of the major points for each individual industry. The SMSTS course doesnt only cover the Health and Safety at Work Act but also other related regulations such as Working in Confined Spaces, Working at Height, demolition and scaffolding which are all high-risk areas. If an incident happens in the workplace and it is found that these areas of health and safety arent covered, it can lead to hefty fines and legal action.
The SMSTS course lasts 5 days, and over this period you will be guided through the training course by qualified, knowledgeable tutors. You may want to ask if the tutor has industry experience before agreeing to sign up to the course, these are the trainers who will have the most in-depth knowledge and will have experienced first-hand issues and hazards that take place on a building site. At the end of the five days you will be asked to sit a test to ensure that you have understood and digested the information and are confident to implement what youve learnt on the SMSTS course back onsite.
If you pass the course you will be presented with a certificate which is valid for five years. If you still want to be SMSTS qualified following these five years you will need to attend a refresher course which is only 2 days long compared to the 5 day initial SMSTS course.
