SMSTS Mock Test

What is SMSTS?

The Site Manager Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) is a health and safety awareness course used by stakeholders operating in the construction industry. Its target audience is construction site managers. Therefore, you shouldn’t attend this course unless you’re currently performing this role, or on a training pathway towards becoming a site manager.

The course is designed by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), and is part of the organization’s Site Safety Plus (SSP) training series. The Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme – aimed at construction site supervisors – is also part of the SSP series.  

Supporting site managers in their role

Site managers are ultimately accountable for the safety and welfare of all workers on a construction site. Consequently, these individuals must deliver a range of health and safety measures. These efforts serve to protect workers from incurring injury and reduce the number of hazards present on a construction site. Therefore, site managers assume a high level of responsibility at all times. As this course is designed to support site managers to deliver these tasks with more confidence, the SMSTS is an extremely important learning module.

Most construction companies expect their site managers to hold a valid SMSTS certificate. This is because it demonstrates their commitment to creating a safe workplace environment, and helps to mitigate the threat of accidents occurring. Every year, construction companies spend millions on absence payments and settling insurance claims. Therefore, ensuring site managers are well-versed in matters of health and safety is a priority for businesses operating in the construction industry. 

For the reasons outlined above and many more, we would encourage all current and prospective site managers to attend this course.

In this article, we’ll review all aspects of the SMSTS training programme. This includes providing information on course content, accompanying assessments, associated costs, and remote learning opportunities. If you still have any questions regarding the course after reading this article, we would advise you to speak to your tutor, liaise with a trusted colleague/line manager, or visit the following webpage.

What topics are covered by SMSTS course tutors?

As this course is pitched at individuals operating in a managerial capacity, the topics covered are suitably advanced. Your tutor will discuss a broad range of themes, explaining how these are relevant to the site manager role. There are theoretical and practical sessions within the SMSTS course, and therefore, you’ll get an opportunity to put classroom learnings into practice.

Although the course primarily focuses on health and safety awareness, your tutor will touch on several other disciplines whilst covering the main subject matter. You’ll learn about different leadership styles, the importance of effective decision-making, and HR policies and procedures. Therefore, you should emerge from this course as a better all-round manager.

In the notes below, we’ve provided a list of areas you’ll learn about whilst attending this module:

Workplace culture

Site managers must understand how to develop a positive safety culture within a workplace environment. Throughout this course, you’ll learn how to communicate important H&S messages clearly and coherently, recognize and reward desirable behaviours, and ensure supervisors are playing their part in maintaining safety standards on a construction site.

Providing your delivery is engaging and enthusiastic, these efforts will help you to secure maximum buy-in from your team. In turn, this increases the chances of your workforce consistently operating in a compliant fashion and reduces the likelihood of an accident occurring.  

Governmental legislation

Site managers must ensure site processes and procedures reflect the guidelines set out in relevant government legislation. This activity is not just desirable in the context of operating a safe construction site, it is a legal requirement. The discussion will mostly focus on two key pieces of legislation; the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (2015).

The Health and Safety at Work Act outlines general principles relating to workplace safety, and the powers relevant authorities have when enforcing H&S rules and regulations. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations are specific to the construction industry. These focus more on the responsibility of construction companies to establish a safe workplace environment, and the steps they must take to protect and promote the welfare of workers. 

Daily and weekly duties

Site managers must conduct a variety of daily and weekly duties to ensure their construction site is consistently safe and compliant. This includes performing a range of checks and observations, implementing safety policies, preparing risk assessments & method statements, managing occupational health cases, absorbing regular updates from supervisors & other members of the workforce, implementing preventative measures to mitigate potential threats, taking decisive action to address live hazards and risks, and accurately reporting incidents and accidents (this task should be conducted in alignment with Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. These guidelines are often referred to as ‘RIDDOR’)  

Industry regulations

As well as ensuring government legislation is adhered to, site managers should be aware of current industry regulations relating to health & safety protocols and procedures. The CITB serves as the regulatory body of the construction industry. Therefore, this organization puts these regulations in place.

Thanks to new studies, technological advancements, and learning from previous accidents, industry regulations can and should be regularly updated. This enables the construction industry to leverage the latest insights and information when producing safety guidance. As a result, this improves compliance standards across the sector and serves to better protect workers against the threat of injury.  

High-risk activities

Some workplace activities carry a greater risk than others. The risk level attached to a specific task is dependent on a range of factors. These include environmental conditions (such as temperature/ground surface/space limitations), the use of chemicals and certain materials, whether electricity is present, and the potential for injury or loss of life.

Therefore, site managers must be aware of what these high-risk activities are, and the steps that can be taken to reduce the threat they pose. Your tutor will provide information about a breadth of dangerous works that may occur on a construction site. These include demolition, scaffolding, excavations, working at height, using electrical equipment, and operating in confined spaces.   

As you can see, the SMSTS curriculum is extremely thorough, complex, and multi-dimensional. Towards the end of the course, you’ll be asked to sit an assessment. This will include questions relating to all of the topics you’ve covered during your training. Therefore, we would advise you to take plenty of notes to help you prepare for this assessment.

What is the structure and format of the course?

The duration of the SMSTS course is five days. As your tutor needs to cover a lot of ground throughout this period, you’ll have a busy schedule from the get-go. Therefore, ensure you approach this course in the right frame of mind. You should be energetic, enthusiastic, and ready to take on a large amount of information in a short space of time. 

As all course delegates are capable individuals, your tutor will expect a high level of audience participation. Therefore, you and your peers will be encouraged to interact with each other regularly throughout. This will involve contributing readily to group discussions, sharing best practices and personal experiences, and asking challenging questions of your tutor. This helps to bring the subject matter to life and provides a platform for new ideas and concepts to grow.

Learning environment

Most learning providers facilitate SMSTS courses in both classroom and online environments. Therefore, you’ll be able to choose the format of your course depending on your personal circumstances. If you’re struggling to find time to attend a training centre/academic institution due to personal commitments, you’ll likely benefit from navigating your training remotely. If you do opt for an online course, you’ll be able to log in to a training session from any location provided you have a laptop, tablet, or smartphone device. This means that you’ll be able to study without leaving your place of work – a potentially attractive proposition for your employer.

Although a remote course offers convenience, it may limit your capacity to interact with your peers and tutor. Clearly, you’ll still be able to speak with these individuals via a live video platform. However, the quality of the discussions you have, the contributions you offer, and the connections you make will arguably be stronger if you attend your course in person.

Therefore, we would encourage you to think carefully about the learning environment you select – both have positives and drawbacks.

What does the SMSTS test entail?

As previously referenced, you’ll be required to take an assessment towards the conclusion of the SMSTS course. You must pass this assessment to attain an SMSTS certificate.

There are 25 questions included in this assessment. The first set of 18 questions is in multiple-choice format. Therefore, you’ll need to select the correct answer from four possible responses. As you have at least a one in four chance of selecting the correct answer, some assume multiple-choice questions are relatively simple. However, some of these questions require you to apply logic, make calculations, or think outside the box. Therefore, this assessment might not be straight-forward as you think!

The second set of 7 questions requires you to provide written responses. These questions are based on case studies, which are designed to reflect realistic workplace scenarios. A description of a particular situation will be given, complete with information regarding potential hazards and risks to safety. You’ll be expected to outline the steps you would take to address these dangers and the preventative action you would administer to prevent a repeat occurrence. It’s a good idea to use the terminology your tutor has referenced throughout the course in your response. Using correct terminology suggests you have a firm understanding of the subject matter. 

Important additional information

The duration of this assessment is 35 minutes. Therefore, you’ll have just over one minute per question to provide your responses. This gives you more than enough time to calmly and methodically complete this assessment.

To pass this assessment, you’ll need to answer 20 (80%) out of 25 questions correctly. After you’ve successfully navigated this assessment, you’ll receive an SMSTS pass certificate. Proof of this qualification will automatically be uploaded onto the CITB card checker portal. Therefore, you’ll have an instant digital record of your achievement.

The Site Manager Safety Training Scheme Refresher course

Your SMSTS pass certificate is valid for five years. After this period has elapsed, you’ll need to attend a Site Manager Safety Training Scheme Refresher (SMSTS-R) course to keep your qualification live. The SMSTS-R is a condensed version of the full SMSTS course. It is also part of the CITB’s Site Safety Plus (SSP) training series.

Although you may not relish having to complete a chunk of this training again, you will undoubtedly benefit from attending the refresher course. As well as helping you to retain the skills and knowledge you picked up on the original course, the SMSTS-R enables you to keep abreast of any changes to best practice guidelines, industry regulations, or governmental legislation. Consequently, you’ll be able to continue working in an efficient, diligent, and compliant fashion.   

• The SMSTS-R covers the following topics:
• Matters of health and safety currently receiving increased attention from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Please note that the HSE is the UK’s regulatory body for workplace health and safety.  
• Producing risk assessments and method statements
• General site management responsibilities
• Logging incidents by following the guidance set out in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)  
• Managing Occupational Health cases.
• Reviewing any updates to industry regulations and relevant governmental legislation   

At the end of the SMSTS-R course, you’ll need to sit an assessment. This will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions. To ensure you continue holding this qualification, you must pass this assessment.

How much does it cost to attend an SMSTS course?

Unfortunately, there is no way of providing a definitive answer to this question. The cost of attending an SMTS course depends entirely on the learning provider facilitating your training. As a result, prices can vary significantly. However, you can roughly expect to pay between £400-£600 (inc. VAT) to attend this course. 

Given its shortened syllabus, the SMSTS-R course is less expensive. However, the cost of your training is again determined by the learning provider you choose to hire. A typical SMSTS-R course is priced at approximately £300-£365 (inc. VAT)

The above prices may seem quite high, but it’s worth remembering that these courses represent an investment in your future. After attending this course, you’ll be undoubtedly better equipped to perform your role. This may well open up further career opportunities, as delivering work to a higher standard inevitably leads towards more senior positions. Having this qualification proves that you have an outstanding general understanding of health & safety in the workplace. Therefore, if you choose to one day pursue a job in a different industry, you’ll be able to transfer this skill to your new environment.  

Employer support

Furthermore, your employer may decide to fund all or part of your training, saving you a significant amount of money. Helping you to develop your professional capabilities is in your employer’s interest. You’ll return from your course with a new suite of capabilities, and will therefore be in a position to improve operational standards.  Inspired by your success, your colleagues may decide to pursue training opportunities, subsequently helping the business to develop and grow.  Therefore, it’s not uncommon for construction companies to sponsor an employee’s training efforts – whether that be in relation to the SMSTS, SMSTS-R, or any other learning module.

Before booking your course, it’s worth checking to see whether you qualify for a grant or bursary. The government and CITB provide financial support to lots of individuals who want to attend construction-related training programmes. Funding is often issued directly by the government or CITB but sometimes channelled through your employer.

Whether you receive funding or not is determined by your personal circumstances. Therefore, you’ll need to check your eligibility before applying for support.

Click here to see if you qualify for a CITB grant.

Click here to check if you can access government funding.