Is the SMSTS Refresher Course Hard?
The Refresher for the Site Management Safety Training Scheme) is a two-day course that can be taken online or in-person. It’s mandatory for anyone whose initial SMSTS certification is due to expire. But is the SMSTS Refresher difficult?
Since everyone who takes the course will already have received SMSTS training and will have considerable experience as a site manager, it’s not really considered ‘hard’. It’s intensive, though- there’s a lot of content covered across the two days, including any regulatory updates that have been instituted since you last got certified.
In today’s blog, we’ll talk about the core challenge of the training, and more.
The Core Challenge: Legal Updates and Time Pressure
The main hurdle of the training is its focus on change. The course is designed to update an experienced manager on all significant legislative and procedural changes that have occurred over the past five years. This includes major updates to the CDM Regulations, new guidance from the HSE, and emerging risks.
Because the course is condensed into two days, the pace is quite rapid. Managers need to recall their foundational knowledge, while integrating new legal and compliance information. This time pressure, rather than the complexity of the foundational material itself, is what some candidates find challenging.
SMSTS Refresher: Assumed Knowledge and Application
The course assumes you retain the core knowledge learned during your initial five-day training. It doesn’t waste time reviewing basic principles like how to conduct a site induction, or the initial steps of risk assessment. Instead, it dives straight into how those principles have been updated, clarified, or expanded by new case law and regulations. This reliance on assumed knowledge means you need to be sharp, and mentally prepared, from the start.
The Mandatory Assessment: No Grace Period
The course culminates in a mandatory assessment that must be passed to secure the renewal certificate. The final exam typically includes multiple-choice and short written questions focused entirely on the updated material. Failure to achieve the minimum pass mark means a manager can’t renew their qualification via the refresher route.
It’s also worth noting that the Refresher has a strict renewal window. There’s no grace period after the expiry date. Letting the certificate lapse means you’ll need to take the full SMSTS course again instead.
SMSTS Refresher: A Test of Current Competence
The training is fundamentally a test of your current competence, which is why it’s so highly valued by employers. It serves as a necessary check to ensure that managers are not operating on outdated information. It’s a strategic investment that secures your professional standing, and confirms your commitment to legal compliance for the next five years. For a professional who’s actively engaged in site management and views safety as a priority, the refresher is both manageable, and essential.
Conclusion: Is the SMSTS Refresher Course Hard?
The course is intensive, but it’s not inherently ‘hard’ for an experienced site manager. Its challenge lies in the rapid pace of legal updates, and the requirement to apply new regulatory information correctly under pressure during the assessment.
If you still have any questions regarding the course, then do not hesitate to get in touch.
Phone – 020 3488 4472
