The simple answer
A job title on its own does not automatically mean that the law says you must have SSSTS or SMSTS. What matters is whether you have the right skills, knowledge, training and experience for the work you are doing. At the same time, a company or a particular project can still make one of these certificates a requirement for the role.
SSSTS Course and SMSTS Courses at a glance
Point | SSSTS Course | SMSTS |
Usually aimed at | Supervisors, forepersons and team leaders | Site managers, project managers and people with wider control of the site |
Course length | Two days / 15 hours | Five days / 37.5 hours |
Main focus | Supervising day-to-day work, communication and putting safety controls into practice | Planning, organising, monitoring and controlling health and safety across the site |
Certificate validity | Five years | Five years |
Refresher | One day before the certificate expires | Two days before the certificate expires |
CITB NCC starting price | From Ā£250 | From Ā£500 |
What does the law actually say?
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 say that contractors have to make sure the people they appoint have, or are working towards, the skills, knowledge, training and experience needed to do the job safely. They also have to provide suitable supervision, information and instruction.
For me, the main point here is that the law is looking at competence, not just the name of a certificate. Having SSSTS or SMSTS is useful evidence that somebody has had relevant safety training, but a certificate by itself cannot show that the person is capable of dealing with every situation on a construction project. Their experience and knowledge of the actual work still matter.
HSE guidance also says supervisors need suitable skills, knowledge, training, experience and leadership qualities. It recommends recognised supervisor training when somebody moves into a supervisory role. So SSSTS and SMSTS are widely used in the industry, but they are not licences that are specifically named in UK law as compulsory for every supervisor or manager.
Who is the SSSTS Course really for?
The SSSTS Course (Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme) makes most sense for somebody who is supervising workers on a day-to-day basis. This could be a site supervisor, foreperson, ganger, team leader, an experienced tradesperson moving into supervision, or sometimes a junior manager who is still developing their safety-management experience.
The SSSTS course is mainly about what happens close to the work itself. This includes communicating safe systems of work, giving toolbox talks, spotting unsafe behaviour, monitoring health issues and understanding what a supervisor is responsible for.
CITB requires 15 hours of attendance and an assessment. The National Construction College price starts from Ā£250 with no VAT, although other approved providers can charge different amounts.
Who is SMSTS for?
SMSTS is aimed more at people who are actually managing construction work rather than only supervising a team. Typical examples are site managers, project managers, construction managers, senior supervisors, business owners and people who are preparing to take control of a site.
Because the role is wider, the course is also longer. It covers areas such as health and safety law, CDM, risk assessments and method statements, site setup, occupational health, environmental management and major hazards such as excavations, demolition, electricity, scaffolding and confined spaces.
I think this is an important difference between the two courses. SMSTS is not simply SSSTS with another three days added. A site manager may be making decisions that affect several teams or the whole project, while a supervisor is more likely to be making sure the arrangements already in place are followed properly by the workers.
Can a site manager work with only SSSTS?
There is not a simple yes or no answer because it depends on the person's duties, the employer and the project. However, if somebody is genuinely managing the whole site, SSSTS on its own may not be enough evidence of suitable management-level training because SSSTS is mainly a supervisory course.
For example, if the person is controlling the construction phase plan, coordinating different contractors or making decisions about risks across the whole site, the employer would need to consider whether a two-day supervisory course is enough for those responsibilities.
There is also the practical side. Some large projects or employers specifically ask for SMSTS. In that situation a person could be refused the role or site access without it, even though the legislation itself does not say that every site manager must hold an SMSTS certificate.
Does every supervisor need SMSTS?
No, not automatically. If somebody is mainly supervising a team at the workface, SSSTS is normally closer to what they actually do. Putting every supervisor through a five-day management course may not be necessary.
SMSTS starts to make more sense when the supervisor is regularly doing the site manager's job, coordinating several subcontractors, making site-wide decisions or getting ready to move into a management role. In other words, I would look at what the person really does rather than only looking at their job title.
SSSTS Course and SMSTS Courses Time and cost
There is quite a big difference in course time. The SSSTS Course takes two days, whereas SMSTS Course takes five days. Using the CITB National Construction College prices in this comparison, SSSTS starts from Ā£250 and SMSTS from Ā£500. There can also be other costs for the employer, such as wages, travel and the time the person is away from normal work.
That does not mean SSSTS is automatically the better-value option because it is cheaper. If the person is doing a manager's job and the company or project expects SMSTS, paying for SSSTS first may not solve the problem. On the other hand, sending somebody on SMSTS when their job is only front-line supervision can also use more time and money than necessary.
Certificates and refreshers
Both certificates last for five years. Before an SSSTS certificate expires, the holder can take the one-day SSSTS Refresher Course. For SMSTS, the refresher is normally two days. If the certificate is allowed to expire, the person may have to complete the full course again, so it makes sense for employers to keep an eye on expiry dates rather than leaving the booking until the last minute.
What SSSTS and SMSTS do not replace
Another thing that can cause confusion is the CSCS card. Completing SSSTS or SMSTS does not automatically give somebody a Gold Supervisory card or a Black Manager card. Those cards normally need the correct occupational qualification, such as a relevant construction NVQ or SVQ, as well as the correct CITB Health, Safety and Environment test.
These courses also do not replace everything else a person may need on site. Site induction, trade-specific training, temporary-works training, first aid, specialist hazard training, practical experience and proper supervision can still be required depending on the work.
A simple way to decide
The easiest way I would separate the two is this: if the person's main job is supervising workers and making sure site-management arrangements are followed, SSSTS is normally the closer match. If the person is planning and controlling those arrangements across the site or project, SMSTS is more relevant.
If the role is somewhere between the two, I would look at the actual responsibilities. Do they change the programme or method of work? Do they coordinate several contractors? Are they responsible for risks across the whole site? Do they manage the construction phase plan? Would they take charge if the site manager was not there? If the answer is yes to several of these questions, the role is moving much closer to the level covered by SMSTS.
My conclusion
After comparing the two courses, I would not say that the law automatically requires SSSTS for every supervisor or SMSTS for every site manager. The legal requirement is wider than that: the person needs to be competent for the work and have suitable training, knowledge and experience.
For a normal front-line supervisor, SSSTS is generally the course that matches the role. For somebody who is actually running and controlling a construction site, SMSTS is more relevant and may also be required by the employer or principal contractor. Before booking either course, I would check the person's real duties, the company's requirements and the rules for the project they will be working on.
Official sources used
- HSE: Contractors' roles and responsibilities under CDM 2015
- HSE: Managing health and safety in construction (L153)
- CITB Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme
- CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme
