CITB / SMSTS

Site Management Safety Training Scheme

CITB's five-day Site Management Safety Training Scheme for site managers and those stepping up to run a site. Classroom dates in Rotherham, near Sheffield, and live online with a tutor.

Duration
5 days
Delivery
Classroom or live online
Certificate
CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) certificate, issued by CITB when you pass.
Valid for
5 years; renew with the SMSTS Refresher
Assessment
Four core exercises and a trainer review, then a 35-minute end-of-course exam of 25 questions set by CITB. You can use the course books for the last 15 minutes.

About the course

SMSTS is CITB's course for site managers, project managers and anyone responsible for planning, organising and controlling health, safety, welfare and environmental matters on a construction site. Build UK endorses it as the standard training for construction managers, and it is widely asked for by principal contractors.

Over five days you cover the law that applies to your role, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, CDM 2015 and RIDDOR, and how to put it into practice on site: risk assessments and method statements, working at height, excavations and confined spaces, fire and electrical safety, and the health risks that do most harm in construction, such as dust, noise, vibration and asbestos.

In South Yorkshire the course runs in our classroom at Bradmarsh Business Park, Rotherham (S60 1BY), about 20 minutes from Sheffield city centre, and live online with a tutor. CITB allows SMSTS to run over five consecutive days or as day release (one or two days a week, finished within five weeks). Each date in the list shows which pattern it follows.

To pass you complete four core exercises, a trainer review and an end-of-course exam. CITB then issues your SMSTS certificate, valid for five years. To keep it, take the two-day SMSTS Refresher before it expires.

SMSTS doesn't give you a CSCS card on its own. For the Black Manager card you need a construction management NVQ, such as the Level 6 in Construction Site Management, which we also offer.

Who it's for

Site managers, project managers, contracts managers and site agents.
Supervisors stepping up to run a site.
Business owners and directors who manage their own sites.
There are no formal entry requirements, but CITB recommends some health and safety knowledge first: if you're new to managing health and safety, start with the two-day SSSTS. You need written and spoken English good enough for site management.

What you'll learn

  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management Regulations 1999
  • CDM Regulations 2015 and the site manager's duties
  • Risk assessments and method statements
  • RIDDOR 2013: reporting accidents and incidents
  • Working at height and scaffolding
  • Excavations, underground and overhead services
  • Confined spaces
  • Fire safety and electricity
  • Vehicles and pedestrians on site
  • Health risks: dust, noise, vibration, asbestos and manual handling
  • Environmental responsibilities on site
  • Leading and communicating a safe site culture

Assessment and certificate

Assessment
Four core exercises and a trainer review, then a 35-minute end-of-course exam of 25 questions set by CITB. You can use the course books for the last 15 minutes.
Certificate
CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) certificate, issued by CITB when you pass.
Valid for
5 years; renew with the SMSTS Refresher
Awarding body
CITB

SMSTS dates

Tutor-led in the classroom or live online. Prices are per delegate and exclude VAT.

Delivery

202 upcoming dates, soonest first

October 2026

Thursday

15 Oct

to Thu 12 Nov 2026

Online
  • Day release · 5 days over 5 weeks
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Live online with a tutor

Monday

19 Oct

to Mon 16 Nov 2026

Online
  • Day release · 5 days over 5 weeks
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Live online with a tutor

Monday

19 Oct

to Mon 16 Nov 2026

Online
  • Day release · 5 days over 5 weeks
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Live online with a tutor

Wednesday

21 Oct

to Wed 18 Nov 2026

Online
  • Day release · 5 days over 5 weeks
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Live online with a tutor

Wednesday

21 Oct

to Wed 18 Nov 2026

Online
  • Day release · 5 days over 5 weeks
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Live online with a tutor

November 2026

Monday

9 Nov

to Fri 13 Nov 2026

Classroom
  • Block · 5 days in a row
  • 08:30–17:00
  • Rotherham (Bradmarsh Business Park)

Showing 24 of 202 dates

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Training near you

Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) runs in the classroom at our training venue in Rotherham: 10 upcoming dates at Rotherham (Bradmarsh Business Park), about 20 minutes from Sheffield city centre outside rush hour. If travelling doesn't suit, the live online dates are taught by a tutor in real time.

Getting to the venue from

Training a team? We can run this course at your site: in-house training for employers.

Health and safety training across South Yorkshire: classroom, live online and in-house options for your area.

Related courses

Guides

Questions about the SMSTS

Something else? Call 07939 593032.

Is the SMSTS classroom in Sheffield?

Just outside it. Our classroom is at Bradmarsh Business Park in Rotherham (S60 1BY), about 2 miles from Meadowhall and a few minutes from junctions 33 and 34 of the M1. From Sheffield city centre it's around 20 minutes by road. If travelling is awkward, the same course also runs live online with a tutor.

What is the SMSTS exam like?

It has 25 questions set by CITB: 18 multiple choice and 7 that need several answers or a short written answer, with the two-mark questions focused on the biggest site risks, such as working at height, dust and noise. You have 35 minutes and can use the course books for the last 15. The pass mark is 81%. Before the exam you also need to complete the four core exercises and pass the trainer review.

What happens if I don't pass the exam first time?

If you completed the exercises, passed the trainer review and scored between 72% and 78%, CITB allows one resit, on the same day or within 30 days, without repeating the course. With a lower score, or if the resit isn't passed, you need to take the course again.

Can I take SMSTS one day a week?

CITB allows SMSTS as day release, one or two days a week, as long as it's finished within five weeks (six if a bank holiday falls in it). Each date in the list shows whether it runs as a block, day release or at weekends. You must attend every full day to get the certificate.

Does SMSTS get me a CSCS Black card?

No. CSCS doesn't accept SMSTS for a card application. The Black Manager card needs a construction management NVQ, such as the Level 6 in Construction Site Management, plus the CITB Managers and Professionals HS&E test.

All CITB courses

SMSTS from

£439.00 + VAT
See dates

From the blog

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  2. Course guides

    SMSTS or SSSTS: which CITB course do you need?

  3. NVQs and CSCS cards

    CITB Health and Safety Awareness: who needs it, and how it links to your CSCS card

Training a whole team?

We run courses at your site or a venue near you, on dates that suit your programme. Tell us what you need and we'll put together a quote.