CITB — the Construction Industry Training Board — is the industry training board and awarding body for construction in Great Britain. Its Site Safety Plus scheme is the most widely recognised set of site safety qualifications in UK construction, and is routinely specified by principal contractors and clients as a condition of working on their sites.
The scheme is built around role rather than seniority. There is a course for operatives, one for supervisors, one for managers, and specialist courses for temporary works and environmental duties. Every Site Safety Plus certificate is valid for five years and renewed by a shorter refresher course — provided you renew before it expires. All are available in classroom and live online instructor-led formats, or on-site for groups.
Which CITB course do I need? It depends on your role on site. Health and Safety Awareness for operatives, SSSTS for supervisors, SMSTS for site managers. If you already hold one of the latter two and it is still in date, you need the refresher rather than the full course.
Check your expiry date first. There is no grace period on Site Safety Plus certificates. If yours has lapsed, even by a few days, you must retake the full course rather than the refresher — five days instead of two for SMSTS, or two instead of one for SSSTS.
CITB or CSCS? They are different things rather than alternatives. CITB Site Safety Plus courses are training qualifications; a CSCS card is proof of competence carried on site. Most CSCS card applications require you to pass the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test, and the card you can apply for depends on the qualifications you hold — so for many people the answer is both.
Core Site Safety Plus courses
The main qualifications, aligned to role on site. All are available in classroom and live online instructor-led formats.
5 days — Site Management Safety Training Scheme
★ Most requested
The recognised qualification for site managers and those with full management responsibility for health and safety. Approved by Build UK and commonly a contractual condition of employment. Valid five years, renewed by the two-day refresher.
Already hold this and renewing? SMSTS Refresher — 2 days →
2 days — Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
✓ Supervisor level
For site supervisors, team leaders and first-line managers. Required by Build UK for supervisors on their members’ sites, and the standard stepping stone before SMSTS. Valid five years, renewed by the one-day refresher.
Already hold this and renewing? SSSTS Refresher — 1 day →
1 day — operatives and new entrants
◆ Entry level
The starting point for anyone new to construction, covering the basics of site safety and each worker’s own responsibilities. Often taken as a route towards a CSCS card, and a useful foundation before progressing to SSSTS.
Directors Role for Health and Safety
Short course — directors and business owners
◆ Board level
Written for those setting direction rather than running sites day to day. Covers directors’ legal duties, personal liability and the decisions that shape safety performance across a business. See also legal responsibilities.
A note on renewal timing. Because there is no grace period, the practical advice is to book your refresher three to six months before the certificate expires rather than in the final weeks. Popular refresher dates fill quickly, and if the only available date falls after your expiry you are back to the full course — five days instead of two, at several times the cost. Diarise the expiry date the day you pass, not the year it runs out.
Specialist CITB courses
Temporary works, environmental, leadership and sector-specific qualifications within the Site Safety Plus scheme.
Temporary works
For those coordinating temporary works on site — falsework, formwork, propping and excavation support — and managing the procedures around them.
Already hold this and renewing? TWC Refresher →
Temporary works
The supervisory counterpart to the Coordinator course, for those overseeing temporary works on the ground rather than coordinating the wider system.
Environmental
The Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme covers environmental duties, waste, pollution control and the legislation that applies on site. Increasingly requested as environmental responsibilities are written into contracts alongside safety ones. See also environmental training.
Tunnelling
TSTS, for those working in tunnelling and underground construction, where the hazards and controls differ substantially from surface work.
CSCS route
Preparation for the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test, which must be passed before applying for most CSCS cards.
Leadership
Leading people rather than managing hazards — the skills that sit alongside SMSTS for those running teams and projects rather than only enforcing procedure.
Supervision
A short course on planning work and delegating it effectively, aimed at supervisors stepping up from operative roles who now direct others.
Vocational
Vocational qualifications assessed in the workplace, from Level 2 trades through to Level 6 and 7 site and senior management. Often the route to a gold or black CSCS card.
CITB funding changed on 8 January 2026. Short courses are no longer funded through the CITB Grants Scheme. Funding for SMSTS, SSSTS and most other Site Safety Plus courses now runs through CITB Employer Networks, with health and safety courses supported at 30% of CITB’s calculated average market rate. SMSTS, SSSTS and Temporary Works Coordinator are each funded at £115, down from up to £240 under the previous grant.
Plant Operations, Scaffolding and a small number of specialist courses remain grant-eligible. First aid training is no longer funded by CITB, and large employers no longer access Employer Networks.
None of this changes how you book with us. If you would like to understand how funding applies to your organisation before committing, call 0808 1966 830 or make an enquiry and we will talk it through.
Training a team? SMSTS runs over five days and SSSTS over two, so sending people out one at a time adds up quickly in travel and time off site. Most CITB courses can be delivered at your premises or a venue near you, priced for the group rather than per person — and everyone’s certificate then expires on the same date, which makes the next renewal round far easier to plan. See on-site training for groups.
How CITB courses are delivered
Two study routes, both tutor-led and both leading to the same CITB certificate.
Face to face at training centres across the UK. Available as a block week, day release or spread across weekends, depending on the provider.
Live tutor-led sessions by video conferencing, leading to the same CITB certificate. Note the exam requires a private room, photo ID and webcam on throughout.
A note on e-learning. Site Safety Plus courses are not available as self-paced e-learning. They are tutor-led, whether in a classroom or live online, because the assessment is invigilated. If a CITB course is advertised as fully self-paced, check carefully what certificate it actually leads to.
CITB site safety topics
The subjects Site Safety Plus courses cover, with our free guidance on each.
Duty holders, notification and the management of construction projects — the legal backbone of both SMSTS and SSSTS.
Identifying hazards, evaluating risk and applying suitable control measures, plus the method statements that follow from them.
Falls from ladders, roofs and access equipment remain the single leading cause of fatal injury in UK construction.
Silica dust, cement, solvents and fumes, and the COSHH assessments and controls site managers are expected to arrange.
Lifting, carrying and repetitive handling, and the musculoskeletal injuries that account for a large share of lost working days.
Prevention, hot works, evacuation planning and the responsible person’s duties on a live construction site.
Occupational health and wellbeing on site — an area SMSTS now covers alongside physical safety.
What the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and its regulations require of employers, managers and individual workers.
Training matrix, HAVS calculator, asbestos duty to manage and other practical tools, free to use.
Find a CITB course near me
CITB Site Safety Plus courses run at accredited training centres across the UK, with SMSTS and SSSTS available in most major towns and cities. To find a CITB course near you, open the course you need from the sections above — each page lists live dates and venues, and lets you filter by county, town or postcode with a radius of your choosing.
If nothing suitable shows locally, it is worth widening the radius or considering the live online option, which is not tied to a venue and usually offers a wider choice of dates. That matters particularly if a certificate is close to expiry. Nothing showing at all? Contact us and we will let you know when something becomes available in your area.
CITB course questions
How long is a CITB certificate valid?
What happens if my certificate has already expired?
You retake the full course. There is no grace period, so a certificate that lapsed by a single day is treated the same as one that lapsed two years ago — five days for SMSTS rather than two, or two days for SSSTS rather than one. This is the most expensive mistake people make with CITB training, and it is entirely avoidable by booking the refresher a few months early.
Do I need SMSTS or SSSTS?
It follows your role rather than your job title. SSSTS is for supervisors, team leaders and first-line managers — people directing a gang or a trade. SMSTS is for site managers and anyone with full management responsibility for health and safety on a site. If you are moving from one to the other, SSSTS is the usual stepping stone, but it is not a prerequisite; you can take SMSTS directly. Where a contract names one specifically, that is the one to book.
Is a CITB course the same as a CSCS card?
No. A CITB Site Safety Plus course is a training qualification. A CSCS card is proof of competence you carry on site and show at the gate. They are related but separate.
Most CSCS card applications require you to pass the CITB Health, Safety and Environment Test, and which card you qualify for depends on the qualifications you hold — an SMSTS certificate plus a Level 6 NVQ supports a black manager’s card, for instance. For most people on site the answer is that they need both.
Can I take SMSTS online?
Yes, as a live online instructor-led course, which leads to exactly the same CITB certificate as the classroom version. It is not available as self-paced e-learning, because the assessment is invigilated. For the online route you will need a private room, photo ID and your webcam on throughout the exam.
Is CITB training still funded?
Partly, and the route changed in January 2026. Site Safety Plus short courses are no longer funded through the CITB Grants Scheme; funding now runs through CITB Employer Networks at 30% of CITB’s calculated average market rate. SMSTS, SSSTS and Temporary Works Coordinator are each supported at £115. Plant Operations and Scaffolding remain grant-eligible, first aid is no longer funded by CITB, and large employers no longer access Employer Networks. Rates and eligibility are set by CITB and can change — get in touch if you want to talk through how it applies to you.
Does IOSH Managing Safely count instead of SMSTS?
Not usually. IOSH Managing Safely is a general management course accepted across all industries; SMSTS is the construction-specific scheme most principal contractors name in their own site requirements. If a contract or framework specifies SMSTS, an IOSH certificate will not satisfy it. Compare the two on our IOSH courses page before booking either.
How much does CITB training cost?
It depends on the course, the format and the provider. Live online is normally cheaper than classroom because there is no venue cost, and refreshers cost substantially less than the full courses they renew. For groups, on-site delivery is usually cheaper per head than sending people out individually. Current prices for every date are shown on the course search.
Related training
Construction NVQ
CCNSG safety passport
NEBOSH courses
IOSH courses
CDM training
CDM Regulations guidance
Working at height
Confined spaces
IPAF
PASMA
First aid training
Site Safety Plus publications
Free health & safety tools
On-site group training
Funding rates and eligibility are set by CITB and may change.