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The Site Safety Plus Scheme at a Glance
Site Safety Plus courses are designed to stack, so each level builds on the last. The right one depends on what you are responsible for on site.
| Course | Length | Who it is for | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Safety Awareness (HSA) | 1 day | New entrants and operatives | None |
| Site Supervisors' Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) | 2 days | Supervisors and team leaders | SSSTS-R, 1 day, every 5 years |
| Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) | 5 days | Site managers and agents | SMSTS-R, 2 days, every 5 years |
| Director's Role for Health and Safety (DRHS) | 1 day | Directors and senior leaders | None |
| Temporary Works Supervisor (TWSTC) | 1 day | Those supervising temporary works | Refresher recommended |
| Temporary Works Coordinator (TWCTC) | 2 days | Temporary works coordinators | TWCTC-R, every 5 years |
| Site Environmental Awareness (SEATS) | 1 day | Site teams with environmental duties | None |
| Tunnelling Safety Training Scheme (TSTS) | Varies | Underground and tunnelling works | Refresher available |
Most schemes are available as live online instructor-led courses as well as classroom, and as on-site delivery for groups.
About the CITB
What the CITB does
The Construction Industry Training Board is the industry training board for UK construction, established in 1964. It sets the Site Safety Plus syllabuses and approves the organisations that deliver them, rather than running courses itself.
That approval is what makes the certificates portable. An approved training organisation issues a certificate that means the same thing to every contractor, whichever provider you book through.
The CITB Levy and grant funding
Employers with a wage bill above the annual threshold pay the CITB Levy, calculated as a percentage of payroll. Levy-registered employers can then claim grant against approved training, including Site Safety Plus courses.
Grant rates and eligibility are set by the CITB and are reviewed annually, so confirm current rates with them directly before budgeting a training programme.
CITB courses and CSCS cards
The two are related but separate. A CITB course proves you have completed the training; a CSCS card proves your right to work on site and is issued by a different body against qualifications and a test.
In practice the schemes feed the cards. HSA supports the Green Labourer Card route. SSSTS underpins the Supervisor card and SMSTS the Manager card, but both usually also require an NVQ in construction at the relevant level plus a current CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. Holding SMSTS on its own does not entitle you to a Black card.
Booking and Renewing
The five-year deadline that catches people out
SMSTS and SSSTS certificates run for five years, and the refresher is only available while the certificate is still valid. Once it has expired the refresher is off the table and you sit the full course again — five days instead of two for SMSTS.
Refresher dates fill up, particularly toward year end, so book three to six months ahead of expiry rather than the week before. Check your date with our free tool.
Classroom, online or on site
Classroom courses run at venues nationwide, usually as a consecutive block, with day release available on the longer schemes for managers who cannot leave site for a full week.
Live online instructor-led delivery is CITB-approved and produces the same certificate. For teams of six or more, on-site delivery at your own premises is often cheaper than sending people out once travel and lost time are counted.
Attendance matters
Site Safety Plus courses require full attendance. Miss part of a day and most providers cannot certificate you, and there is rarely scope to catch up a missed session on a later course.
Check the timetable against site commitments before booking, particularly on the five-day SMSTS where a single missed morning can cost the whole week.
Beyond Site Safety Plus
CITB courses cover site safety competence, not the wider health and safety profession. Managers wanting broader knowledge often add IOSH Managing Safely.
Those moving into health and safety as a career progress to the NEBOSH Construction Certificate or the NEBOSH General Certificate.
Common Questions
Which CITB course do I need?
It follows your responsibility on site. Operatives and new entrants take HSA. Supervisors and team leaders take SSSTS. Site managers and agents take SMSTS. Directors take DRHS. If you are moving up a level, take the course for the role you are moving into rather than the one you are leaving.
Do I need SSSTS before SMSTS?
No. SSSTS is not a prerequisite for SMSTS. Many people go straight to SMSTS if they are stepping directly into a management role.
What happens if my SMSTS or SSSTS has expired?
The refresher is only available before expiry. Once the certificate has lapsed you have to sit the full course again regardless of how long you have held it or how much site experience you have.
Is the online version the same certificate?
Yes. Live online instructor-led delivery is CITB-approved and leads to the same certificate as classroom delivery. It is tutor-led on a fixed timetable, not self-paced e-learning.
Does a CITB course give me a CSCS card?
Not on its own. The course is one component. A card application normally also needs a relevant NVQ and a current CITB Health, Safety and Environment test, and the card is issued by CSCS rather than the CITB.
Can we run a course at our own site?
Yes, for groups. Most providers will deliver at your premises where numbers justify it, which removes travel and accommodation costs and lets you schedule around site work. Enquire about on-site training.