SSSTS Online: What It Covers
The Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) is a widely recognised course for ensuring that site supervisors are fully competent in managing health and safety in the UK construction industry. Compliance with safety guidelines is non-negotiable in this sector, and the course is designed to make sure those guidelines, and regulations, are being met. More popular in recent years is the SSSTS Online course, which is effectively the exact same training, just delivered virtually. But what does the training cover?
In today’s blog, we’ll look at why supervisors need safety training, the legal responsibilities of a site supervisor, the key topics covered by the training, and everything else you need to know about the Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme.
What SSSTS Online Covers in Detail
The course covers a wide range of topics. Each of these topics is designed to provide supervisors, or soon-to-be supervisors, with a strategic view of site safety. It’s about more than just basic safety awareness, focusing more heavily on practical, regulatory application. Some of the key areas include:
- The legal framework
- Risk management documentation
- High-risk activities
- Occupational health
- Site traffic and plant
Why Supervisors Need Safety Training
Supervisors are the critical link between senior management and the operative workforce. They’re on the front line of execution, and are best positioned to identify and mitigate immediate risks. Supervisors need formal safety training in order to:
- Enforce Compliance: They need the certified knowledge to confidently challenge unsafe practices, and enforce legislative requirements among their teams.
- Prevent Accidents: Formal training teaches supervisors how to proactively spot hazards and intervene, reducing incident rates.
- Manage Subcontractors: The course equips them with the knowledge to vet, and manage, the safety competence of external contractors working under their direction.
Without certified training, a supervisor and their employer are exposed to significant legal and operational risks.
Understanding Legal Responsibilities in SSSTS Online
A core focus of the course is clarifying the supervisor’s legal position. Participants gain a clear understanding of:
- Duty of Care: The moral and legal obligation to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone on site.
- Criminal and Civil Liability: The potential consequences for both the individual and the company in case of a serious accident or non-compliance.
- Specific Duties under CDM 2015: Understanding how their role supports the Principal Contractor in planning, managing, and monitoring work to ensure site safety.
- Reporting: Knowledge of when and how to report injuries and diseases.
This clarity on legal accountability transforms the supervisor from a simple foreman into a manager aware of their significant compliance duties.
The Role of a Site Supervisor
The course defines the expanded role of a site supervisor in modern construction. Their function is strategic, encompassing four key pillars:
- Leadership: Leading by example to set the safety culture and standards.
- Communication: Delivering clear instructions, site inductions, and effective toolbox talks.
- Risk Control: Developing and implementing site-specific RAMS.
- Monitoring: Regularly inspecting the site and ensuring compliance with established rules.
The training validates their ability to successfully execute these diverse managerial responsibilities, providing the certified knowledge base required for effective site control.
Key Health and Safety Topics in SSSTS Online
The curriculum ensures detailed coverage of high-risk operational areas critical to daily site management:
- Working at Height: Regulations and best practices for ladders, scaffolds, mobile elevating work platforms, and fall protection systems.
- Excavations: Understanding soil stability, trench support methods, and the dangers of collapse and underground services.
- Fire Prevention: Managing flammable materials, ensuring correct storage, and organising emergency response procedures.
- Electricity: Protocols for temporary electrical installations, safe use of power tools, and isolation procedures.
Managing Risk on Construction Sites
Supervisors learn a systematic process for managing risk: identify, assess, control, and review. The course teaches participants how to move beyond generic templates and develop site-specific RAMS that genuinely address the hazards present. Crucially, supervisors learn how to involve the workforce in the risk assessment process, ensuring that the controls implemented are practical, and effective. This proactive risk management approach is essential for preventing accidents, and ensuring continuous operational efficiency.
How SSSTS Online Prepares You for Real Challenges
The virtual format heavily utilises case studies and live scenarios to prepare supervisors for real challenges. These interactive elements move the training beyond simple theory. Participants analyse past accidents to understand root causes, develop mock method statements for complex tasks, and discuss appropriate legal interventions in simulated unsafe scenarios. This application-based learning ensures that when a supervisor faces a difficult situation on-site, they can recall the structured, compliant response taught during the course, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical, high-pressure decision-making.
Understanding Site Rules and Enforcement
A core function of the supervisor is the enforcement of site rules. The course provides the necessary foundation for understanding why rules exist, and how to enforce them consistently and fairly. Supervisors learn how to:
- Implement Effective Site Inductions: Ensuring every worker and visitor is aware of site-specific hazards and rules.
- Deliver Toolbox Talks: Using these briefings effectively to communicate high-risk information and engage the workforce.
- Manage Unsafe Behaviour: Developing protocols for addressing non-compliance, from issuing formal warnings to stopping work entirely, ensuring their authority is respected and legally sound.
Communication and Leadership in SSSTS Online
The course puts a strong emphasis on communication and leadership- soft skills that are crucial for effective supervision. The course teaches techniques for clear instruction delivery, active listening, and managing conflicts between different trades. Supervisors learn that effective safety leadership means leading by example, fostering an open culture where workers feel safe reporting hazards without fear of reprisal. This leadership training is essential for translating safety policy into positive on-site action.
Promoting a Positive Health and Safety Culture
The training goes beyond just compliance, by focusing on how supervisors can promote a positive health and safety culture. This involves understanding the psychological factors that influence risk-taking behaviour, and developing strategies to encourage proactive safety participation from all team members. By promoting accountability, providing positive reinforcement, and involving workers in safety decision-making, supervisors can move their team from grudging compliance to genuine commitment, which is the most effective long-term method of accident prevention.
Environmental Responsibilities Covered in SSSTS Online
Reflecting the industry’s evolving focus, the course includes essential modules on a supervisor’s environmental responsibilities. This ensures a comprehensive view of compliance. Key environmental topics include:
- Waste Management: Understanding site waste hierarchy, segregation, and legal disposal.
- Pollution Control: Preventing water, land, and air pollution from runoff, materials, and dust.
This training ensures that supervisors are equipped to manage the environmental risks that carry heavy financial and legal penalties.
How the Course is Delivered
The course is delivered via a live virtual classroom, which ensures maximum engagement. This format requires candidates to attend two full days of live tuition led by a certified CITB trainer. The technology used facilitates interactive breakout rooms for group exercises, screen sharing for reviewing documentation, and real-time Q&A sessions. This method successfully replicates the dynamics of a traditional classroom, making it highly effective for knowledge transfer and skill building, while eliminating the logistical burden of travel.
Assessment and Learning in SSSTS Online
The assessment process is standardised. It culminates in a final multiple-choice examination that tests knowledge retention and application. Throughout the course, learning is reinforced via mandatory core exercises, which require participants to practically apply the course principles, such as developing a mock risk assessment. Active engagement is tracked by the tutor, ensuring every candidate participates fully. A minimum attendance of both days is mandatory to be eligible for the final exam.
Building Confidence as a Supervisor
The greatest benefit is the tangible boost in confidence that the training provides. Knowing that your decisions are rooted in accredited, legal expertise allows you to lead with authority. This confidence is crucial when challenging unsafe work practices or dealing with pushback from subcontractors. The training provides the official benchmark that validates your expertise, transforming uncertainty into proactive, compliant management.
The Practical Value of SSSTS Online
The certificate holds huge practical value. It’s vital for securing higher-paying supervisor roles. For employers, the SSSTS is a key indicator of staff competence, reducing legal liability. For the individual, the certificate is a passport to career progression, ensuring their skills are benchmarked against the national standard every five years.
Common Misconceptions About the SSSTS Course
A common misconception is that the training is just common sense. In reality, modern safety management requires specialised legal and procedural knowledge that only formal training can provide. Another myth is that online learning is less valid; the CITB confirms the virtual course is identical to the classroom version in validity and recognition. The final misconception is that it’s only for large sites- the principles are essential for compliance and safety management on all construction projects, regardless of size.
Conclusion (SSSTS Online: What It Covers)
The course is a comprehensive, two-day training programme covering everything a supervisor needs to know about safety leadership, legal compliance (CDM 2015), and risk management. It’s delivered in a flexible, interactive format, ensuring that supervisors gain practical skills in hazard identification, communication, and site enforcement.
If you still have any questions regarding the course, then do not hesitate to get in touch.
Phone – 020 3488 4472
