Site management and supervision certificates don’t last forever. Both the SMSTS and SSSTS carry a five year validity period, after which they expire and can no longer be used to demonstrate current competence. It’s a detail that catches people out more often than you’d expect, sometimes only discovered when a new contract is on the line, or a principal contractor asks to see evidence of current certification.
The SMSTS, Site Management Safety Training Scheme, is aimed at site managers and project managers who hold overall responsibility for health and safety on site. The SSSTS, Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme, is designed for supervisors and forepersons who oversee teams on a day-to-day basis. Both are CITB qualifications, and both require renewal every five years to remain valid.
The refresher courses are shorter than the originals. The SMSTS refresher runs over two days, and the SSSTS refresher runs over one day. They’re not a straightforward repeat of the initial course either. The refreshers are designed to update candidates on changes to legislation, refresh key knowledge areas and address developments in site safety practice that have emerged since the original qualification was completed.
For anyone whose working practices, site responsibilities or legal environment have shifted in the past five years, the refresher tends to surface gaps that weren’t obvious until they’re directly tested.
Letting a certificate lapse creates a problem that’s more disruptive than simply booking a refresher course. If your SMSTS or SSSTS has already expired, you can’t take the refresher. You have to sit the full course again from scratch, which means more time out and greater cost.
Keeping track of your expiry date and booking ahead gives you the flexibility to fit training around your schedule rather than scrambling to get recertified under pressure.
Acadame delivers both the SMSTS refresher and SSSTS refresher courses at training centres, with onsite delivery available for larger teams. Check your expiry date, then get in touch with the team to book your place before it becomes an urgent problem. Call 03301242165 or email hello@acadame.co.uk.
