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CITB SMSTS Refresher Classroom Course

The CITB SMSTS Refresher (SMSTS-R) is the two-day course that renews an existing Site Management Safety Training Scheme certificate for a further five years. It is the standard route to SMSTS renewal for site managers whose certificate is approaching its five-year expiry. It forms part of the CITB Site Safety Plus programme and is the only route to renewal short of retaking the full five-day course.

The refresher brings site managers up to date on changes to health and safety legislation, CDM Regulations, approved codes of practice and industry best practice since their original certificate was awarded. Because SMSTS is commonly a contractual condition of employment, letting a certificate lapse can take a site manager off site until it is reinstated.

Course Details

  • Duration: 2 days
  • Format: Classroom or online instructor-led
  • Awarding Body: CITB
  • Qualification Validity: 5 years from date of award
  • Prerequisite: A current, in-date SMSTS certificate
  • Suitable for: Site managers renewing an existing SMSTS qualification

Prices vary by provider, location and delivery format. Use the course search below to compare dates and fees.

Find SMSTS Refresher Classroom Courses

 

What is the SMSTS Refresher course?

The SMSTS Refresher (SMSTS-R) is a two-day CITB course that renews an existing SMSTS certificate for a further five years. Rather than repeating the full five-day syllabus, it concentrates on what has changed — new and amended legislation, revised approved codes of practice and current industry guidance — and refreshes the core duties of a site manager.

It forms part of the CITB Site Safety Plus programme and leads to the same Site Safety Plus certificate as the full course.

When should I book my SMSTS Refresher?

Book while your current certificate is still valid. The refresher must be completed before the expiry date printed on your SMSTS certificate — there is no grace period once it has passed.

In practice it is worth booking several months ahead. Refresher courses fill up, popular venues book out, and leaving it until the final few weeks limits you to whatever dates happen to remain. Diarising the renewal a few months before expiry is the simplest way to avoid a gap in certification.

What happens if my SMSTS certificate has already expired?

If your certificate has lapsed you are no longer eligible for the two-day refresher and must retake the full five-day SMSTS course to regain certification.

This is why the expiry date matters so much: the difference between renewing in time and letting it slip is two days versus five, at a correspondingly higher cost and with more time away from site. Check the date on your certificate before assuming the refresher is available to you.

Who can attend the SMSTS Refresher?

The refresher is open only to delegates who hold a current, in-date SMSTS certificate awarded on completion of the full five-day course. Typically that means:

  • Site managers and site agents
  • Project managers with site responsibility
  • Construction company owners and directors
  • Supervisors who progressed from SSSTS and later completed SMSTS

You will be asked to provide evidence of your original qualification, so keep a copy of your certificate to hand when booking.

What evidence do I need to provide when booking?

To book a refresher you will normally need to supply a copy of your original five-day SMSTS certificate, along with the training venue and course date if you have them. Providers use this to confirm eligibility before accepting the booking.

You must also bring your current valid CITB certificate with you on the first day. Failure to produce it may result in not being allowed to complete the course, and some providers will ask for a copy at the point of booking as well.

What does the SMSTS Refresher course cover?

The two days concentrate on updating existing knowledge rather than teaching the syllabus from scratch:

  • Recent developments in construction health and safety legislation
  • The legal system, approved codes of practice, guidance notes and case law
  • CDM Regulations and duty holder responsibilities
  • Risk assessments and method statements
  • Measuring, monitoring and auditing health and safety performance
  • Control of hazards and risks on site
  • Best practice in the management of sub-contractors
  • Communicating information to operatives and sub-contractors

Delegates leave able to apply current legislation and guidance to their own sites, and to demonstrate continued competence to clients and principal contractors.

What is the difference between SMSTS and the SMSTS Refresher?

SMSTS is the full five-day course that awards the qualification for the first time. It is open to anyone with management responsibility on site and has no formal entry requirement.

The SMSTS Refresher is two days, open only to those already holding an in-date certificate, and focuses on what has changed since it was awarded. Both lead to the same CITB Site Safety Plus certificate, valid for five years. If you have never held SMSTS, or your certificate has expired, the full course is the one you need.

How is the SMSTS Refresher assessed?

Assessment is continuous throughout the two days via individual and group exercises, followed by a CITB examination paper of 25 questions. Five of these are safety-critical and require a short written answer.

Safety-critical questions carry 1–3 points each and multiple-choice questions carry 1 point each. All safety-critical questions must be answered correctly to pass, and an overall score of 80% — 28 out of 35 — is required.

SMSTS Refresher certification

Successful delegates are awarded a new CITB Site Safety Plus Construction Site Management Safety Training certificate:

  • Hard copy certificate: Usually issued within 6–8 weeks
  • E-certificate: Usually issued within 2–3 weeks
  • Validity: 5 years from date of award
  • Awarded by: CITB

All certificates issued by the CITB since 1 January 2001 are valid for a five-year period from the date of issue. The new five years runs from the refresher, not from the expiry of the old certificate.

Can my employer claim CITB funding towards the SMSTS Refresher?

Construction employers registered with the CITB Levy may be able to offset part of the course cost. From January 2026, short course funding moved from the old direct grant model to CITB Employer Networks.

To allow claims to be processed, delegates should take their employer’s Levy Number with them and enter it on the relevant section of the course paperwork. Retrospective claims may not be accepted, so it is worth confirming eligibility with your training or HR manager before booking rather than afterwards.

Training materials and publications

All CITB Site Safety Plus courses advertised on this website include access to Construction Site Safety publications. Depending on the accredited provider, delegates may receive:

  • Hard copy workbooks
  • Digital or online access to the materials

Confirmation is provided in the joining instructions issued after full payment is received. Check at the time of booking whether current hard copy CITB Site Safety Plus publications are included in the price, as this varies by provider.

SMSTS Refresher prerequisites
  • A current, in-date SMSTS certificate, with evidence provided
  • Full attendance throughout the duration of the training
  • Valid photographic ID for all delegates
  • A good understanding of written and spoken English — translators are not permitted to attend
  • Written parental consent for any delegate under 18

Failure to provide the required identification or certificate on the first day is likely to result in not being allowed to attend or complete the training.

What if I fail the SMSTS Refresher exam?

Re-sit arrangements are set by the training provider rather than by CITB centrally, so policies and any additional fee vary. If your certificate is close to expiry it is worth asking about the re-sit policy before booking, since a delay could push you past the renewal date and into having to retake the full five-day course.

Find an SMSTS Refresher course near me

SMSTS Refresher courses run at venues across the UK. If you are looking for an SMSTS Refresher course near you, use the search on this page to filter by county, town or postcode, and set a radius that suits how far you are willing to travel. Starting broad and narrowing down returns more options than filtering heavily from the outset, and widening the radius is worth trying if nothing shows — a venue an hour away may run dates far more often than one nearby. Nothing suitable showing? Courses are added regularly, so it is worth checking back, or contact us and we will let you know when something becomes available in your area.

SMSTS Refresher – Online Instructor-Led Training

Live Online CITB SMSTS Refresher Course

Update your SMSTS certification from anywhere with a CITB-approved instructor-led virtual course, designed for site managers needing to renew their qualification.

You can complete the CITB SMSTS Refresher course online through live instructor-led sessions using video conferencing software. This flexible online option helps experienced site managers stay up to date with the latest legislative changes and understand their impact on workplace safety.

Please note, if your current SMSTS certificate has expired, you must complete the full 5-day SMSTS course to regain certification.

Online Training Using Video Conferencing Software

The online SMSTS Refresher course is delivered virtually online by a real instructor using video conferencing software. To attend the SMSTS online course you must have access to a PC or laptop that uses a microphone and webcam.

What’s different about the online course?

  1. Minimum delegate numbers for the refresher course will be reduced to two.
  2. To manage remote online training effectively, the maximum number of delegates allowed will be reduced to ten.
  3. The online course is 2-days in duration, however, due to the delivery by remote learning the course may be split and completed over 2, 3 or 4 consecutive days with a minimum of 14 hours of training plus examination time.
  4. Construction site safety – The comprehensive guide (GE700) is the supporting publication for the refresher training course and is mandatory. In the event of online training taking place, or materials being unavailable for a course running at late notice, a download version of the publication can be used as course material. Downloadable versions of GE700 can be purchased online. You must have your own copy of the current version of the mandatory course material at the start of your course, which should be retained upon completion. While download purchases should be completed and received shortly after purchase, in some circumstances they make take up to 48 hours.
  5. To obtain site management safety training scheme certification you must pass the relevant CITB examination. During the period this online training provision is in effect, an alternative exam method.
  6. Your I.D. will be checked prior to the examination commencing.
  7. During the examination, the trainer will invigilate a maximum of 5 delegates.
  8. You must show the invigilator that you are alone in the room and you must be visible via the video at all times.
  9. You must not use any reference material until the last 10 minutes of the exam, which is the open book session.

What remains the same?

  1. The site management safety training scheme refresher online training will follow the same curriculum as the classroom course and deliver the same standard of training meeting all scheme rules.
  2. Delegates are required to complete the full course duration to be eligible for certification.
  3. Construction site safety – The comprehensive guide (GE700) is the supporting publication for the refresher training course and is mandatory

Course Objectives

  • To maintain training for existing Site Managers
  • To maintain training for existing Site Managers even during exceptional circumstances, such as force majeure events
  • To continue training Site Managers on legislative changes in the industry and their impact on the workforce
  • To support training providers to continue to deliver high quality training despite extraordinary
    circumstances

Online Course Dates and Fees

View all SMSTS Refresher online (instructor-led) course dates and fees

Related Content

Training more than one person on this course?

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