SMSTS Refresher: How Does it Work?
For site managers and supervisors who have already completed the five-day Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) course, maintaining their certification is crucial for continued professional practice and compliance. The SMSTS certificate has a validity period of five years, and before it expires, holders need to undertake the SMSTS Refresher course. It’s not a formality; it’s a vital update designed to ensure your knowledge remains current with the latest legislation, best practices, and industry developments. But how exactly does the course work?
Maintaining Your Core Competence
The construction industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies, revised regulations, and emerging hazards. The purpose of the refresher training is to ensure that site managers remain fully competent and up-to-date with these changes. It reinforces the core principles learned in the original SMSTS course, while incorporating crucial updates. This commitment to ongoing professional development is essential for maintaining high safety standards on site and mitigating risks effectively, ensuring managers can continue to fulfil their legal and moral duties.
What Does the SMSTS Refresher Course Cover?
The course revisits key areas of the original SMSTS training but with a focus on recent changes and common challenges. You can expect to cover updates to health and safety legislation (such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, and CDM Regulations), current best practices in risk assessment and method statements, new guidance on high-risk activities like working at height or excavation, and the latest thinking on managing mental health and welfare on site. The course aims to refresh existing knowledge and introduce any significant new developments in the field of construction health and safety management.
Interactive Learning and Assessment
Similar to the full course, the Refresher training promotes active learning. Participants engage in interactive discussions, group exercises, and case studies that reflect real-world construction scenarios. This collaborative environment allows for sharing experiences and learning from both the instructor and peers. The course culminates in an assessment, typically involving a multiple-choice examination and potentially contributions to group work.
Successful completion confirms that the candidate’s knowledge of site safety management remains current and robust, leading to the renewal of their SMSTS certificate for another five years.
Renewing Your Qualification with the SMSTS Refresher
One of the most crucial elements of the Refresher course is its function in renewing your existing qualification. It’s imperative to complete the refresher before your current SMSTS certificate expires. If your certificate lapses, you’ll need to undertake the full five-day SMSTS course again, which is a significantly greater commitment.
Conclusion (SMSTS Refresher: How Does it Work?)
The Refresher is a streamlined but comprehensive update designed to keep construction site managers and supervisors at the forefront of health and safety best practices. It works by condensing critical legislative and industry updates into a focused two-day programme, assessed to ensure continued competence. Undertaking this refresher is about more than just maintaining a certificate; it’s a proactive step that ensures you remain compliant, and effective in managing a safe and healthy construction site for another five years.
If you still have any questions regarding the course, then do not hesitate to get in touch.
Phone – 020 3488 4472
