About the exam
CITB SMSTS Exam structure
An independent Great Britain study guide aligned to CITB's current five-day Site Management Safety Training Scheme and Appendix G version 03.04, including all four public learning modules, the four core exercises, trainer review and mixed-format end-of-course examination.
Issuer and path
CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme Study Guide is administered through Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Module 1 – Legal and Management
0 scored + 0 pretest
Great Britain legislation, CDM responsibilities, management systems, risk control, communication, leadership, assurance, records and incident learning.
Module 2 – Health and Welfare
0 scored + 0 pretest
Workforce health, welfare, mental health, drugs and alcohol, hazardous substances, asbestos, dust, noise, vibration and manual handling.
Module 3 – General Safety
0 scored + 0 pretest
Site organisation, fire, electricity, temporary works, tools, mobile plant, lifting and mobile or lone-worker control.
Module 4 – High Risk Activities
0 scored + 0 pretest
Work at height, access equipment, scaffolding, fall protection, excavations, services and confined spaces.
Before booking
Use a CITB-approved provider and confirm full-course rather than refresher registration, classroom or remote delivery, all attendance dates, written and spoken English needs, identity and accessibility arrangements, GE700 and XA6 provision, exam and re-sit terms and certificate-recording details. Do not book SMSTS as a substitute for the qualification or MAP test required by a card scheme.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health, Safety and Environmental Law and Duties | 0 | 25 | 4 | Strong |
| CDM Roles and Project Coordination | 0 | 25 | 4 | Strong |
| Health and Safety Management Systems | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Risk Assessments and Method Statements | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Induction, Training and Effective Communication | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Leadership and Worker Engagement | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Inspection, Audit, Forms and Records | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Accident Prevention, Reporting and Investigation | 0 | 24 | 4 | Strong |
| Management of Health and Welfare Facilities | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Stress, Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| COSHH and Lead | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Asbestos Management | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Dust and Fumes | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Noise and Vibration | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Manual Handling | 0 | 22 | 4 | Strong |
| Site Organisation and Traffic | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Fire Prevention, Control and Dangerous Substances | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Electrical Safety | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Temporary Works | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Work Equipment and Hand-held Tools | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Mobile Work Equipment and Lifting Operations | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Mobile Workforce, Lone Work and Driver Safety | 0 | 20 | 4 | Strong |
| Work-at-height Law and Planning | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Roofs, Fragile Surfaces and Access Equipment | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Scaffolding | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Fall Arrest, Suspension and Rescue | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Excavations | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Underground and Overhead Services | 0 | 16 | 4 | Strong |
| Confined Spaces | 0 | 17 | 4 | Strong |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for SMSTS
Connect each legal and technical topic to a manager's planning, communication, verification and learning decisions, then practise the resource-timing and two-mark focus-area boundaries.
1. Identify role, duty and people affected
Clarify the legal and project roles, site jurisdiction, workforce, public and environmental receptors.
2. Define the work and foreseeable change
Use drawings, programme, interfaces, competence, equipment and conditions to understand the real task.
3. Apply the strongest practicable controls
Eliminate or redesign before relying on procedures, warnings or personal protection.
4. Allocate and communicate
Name competent owners, resources, hold points, supervision, emergency arrangements and information routes.
5. Verify at the workface
Inspect critical controls and stop when reality no longer matches the approved plan.
6. Record, review and learn
Use factual evidence, close actions, investigate underlying causes and carry learning into the next phase.
Appendix G v03.04
Cover all four learning modules
Build management judgement across law, health, general safety and high-risk work without inventing a module weight.
Law, CDM and Risk Control
Legal purpose and duties, CDM roles, management systems and suitable risk assessments and methods.
Choose a topic to open below
People, Assurance and Learning
Induction, communication, leadership, worker engagement, inspection, records and incident learning.
Choose a topic to open below
Workforce Health and Welfare
Health planning, welfare, mental wellbeing and proportionate management of drugs and alcohol.
Choose a topic to open below
Hazardous Exposure and Ergonomics
COSHH, lead, asbestos, dust, fumes, noise, vibration and manual-handling prevention.
Choose a topic to open below
Site and Emergency Systems
Site layout, traffic, fire, dangerous substances, electricity and temporary-works governance.
Choose a topic to open below
Equipment, Operations and Mobility
Tools, work equipment, mobile plant, lifting operations, drivers, mobile workers and lone working.
Choose a topic to open below
Work-at-height Systems
Height hierarchy, surfaces, access equipment, scaffolds, fall arrest, suspension and rescue.
Choose a topic to open below
Ground, Services and Confined Spaces
Excavation stability, buried and overhead services, dangerous atmospheres, isolation and rescue.
Choose a topic to open below
Health, Safety and Environmental Law and Duties
Purpose, hierarchy and enforcement of Great Britain requirements plus employer, self-employed and worker duties.
Key rules
Rule 1
Legislation establishes minimum duties; guidance and industry practice help managers implement proportionate controls.
Exam cue: Identify the dutyholder, people affected, legal source and action within the manager's control.
Rule 2
Organisations and individuals retain the duties attached to their role and cannot transfer accountability by contract alone.
Exam cue: Distinguish legislation, approved guidance, site procedure and voluntary good practice.
Rule 3
SMSTS includes environmental responsibility as a course-wide management aim even though Appendix G does not publish it as a fifth learning-outcome module.
Exam cue: Include neighbours and environmental receptors in planning.
Common traps
Treating compliance as complete because no inspector has intervened.
Prevention: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Assuming a subcontract transfers every client or employer duty.
Prevention: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Presenting GE700 Section E as a separately weighted SMSTS exam module.
Prevention: The examination is 35 minutes and references are permitted only during the final 15 minutes.
Memory anchors
Role Creates Duty
Start with the legal and project role before assigning action.
Law Sets the Floor
Good management may need controls beyond minimum compliance.
Contract Coordinates, Not Erases
Appointments clarify delivery but do not remove retained duties.
People and Place
Protect workers, the public and the surrounding environment.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
CITB SMSTS course
Current audience, five-day duration, aims, entry guidance, classroom or remote delivery and five-year certificate.
CITB Site Safety Plus scheme rules
Live controlling index for Principal Scheme Rules, Appendix G and other current Site Safety Plus appendices.
SMSTS Appendix G v03.04
February 2026 course duration, mandatory materials, four learning modules, exercises, trainer review, exam and re-sit rules.
Site Safety Plus Principal Scheme Rules
January 2026 scheme-wide duration, pass-mark, trainer-review, certification and five-year validity controls.
CITB GE700-V11
Current mandatory SMSTS reference and its separate A–F plus supporting-information publication structure.
CITB SMSTS Refresher
Current two-day renewal course and valid-certificate boundary kept outside the full-course slug.
Build UK Training Standard
Current industry training-standard context for construction manager and supervisor learning.
CSCS cards for managers
Current statement that SMSTS is not accepted as a CSCS card qualification and the distinct manager-card routes.
CSCS HS&E test requirements
Current separate Managers and Professionals test requirement for relevant manager and professional card applications.
HSE CDM 2015
Primary Great Britain guidance on construction-project duties, capability, planning, cooperation and coordination.
HSE construction health risks
Primary Great Britain guidance on welfare, asbestos, dust, substances, noise, vibration and manual handling.
HSE construction safety topics
Primary Great Britain guidance on site organisation, fire, electricity, temporary works, plant, lifting, height, excavations and services.
FAQ
Common CITB SMSTS questions
What is the current SMSTS course?
CITB describes SMSTS as a five-day Site Safety Plus course for site managers or aspiring site managers who manage, monitor, implement and report in a construction environment. It covers health, safety and environmental legislation, risk control, communication and management practice and is endorsed by Build UK as standard training for construction managers.
What must I complete to receive the certificate?
You must attend the full course, complete all four core exercises, pass the trainer's pass/fail review and pass the end-of-course examination. The trainer review considers performance and engagement in the exercises and across the course. A delegate who fails that review cannot sit the exam.
What is the current examination structure?
Appendix G version 03.04 specifies 25 CITB-selected questions worth 32 marks in 35 minutes. Eighteen multiple-choice questions are worth one mark each. Seven multi-response or short written questions are worth two marks each. The pass requirement is 26 marks, published by CITB as 81%.
Which topics receive the seven two-mark questions?
The seven focus areas are working at height, vehicles and pedestrians, manual handling, asbestos, dust, noise and vibration. These items recognise greater response complexity. CITB does not publish a separate fixed allocation for the remaining modules or topics.
Is the SMSTS exam open book?
Only in part. The examination lasts 35 minutes, and delegates may use GE700 and the XA6 workbook during the final 15 minutes. The rules do not permit those references throughout the whole paper, so prepare for the initial 20 minutes without them and learn to retrieve information efficiently when the reference window opens.
Why does this guide have four modules when GE700 has six sections?
The current Appendix G publishes four learning-outcome modules: Legal and management; Health and welfare; General safety; and High risk activities. Mandatory GE700-V11 is organised separately into Sections A–F plus supporting information, including Environment and Specialist activities. CITB does not publish A–F as weighted SMSTS exam sections, so this guide follows Appendix G while retaining environmental responsibility as a course-wide aim.
Are the four core exercises just optional classroom practice?
No. CITB states that all four must be completed. Construction drawings, tasks and projects support the exercises, and the trainer uses performance and interaction in them as part of the review. This is distinct from the optional 'What do you know?' diagnostic practice paper.
What happens if I fail the first exam?
A delegate who completed the four exercises, passed the trainer review and scored 23, 24 or 25 out of 32 may take one re-sit. It can be offered on the same day after adequate preparation or within 30 days. If the re-sit does not reach 26 marks, the full SMSTS course must be taken again.
Are there formal entry requirements?
There are no formal entry requirements, but delegates should hold or be about to hold a site-manager role and must have the written and spoken English needed at site-management level. Previous safety-management knowledge is recommended; CITB recommends the separate two-day SSSTS course for people without that experience.
Can I take SMSTS remotely?
The current CITB course page permits classroom or remote delivery. The same learning outcomes, attendance, exercises, trainer review and exam requirements apply through an approved provider. Confirm technology, identification, attendance and resource arrangements before booking.
How long is an SMSTS certificate valid?
CITB certificates are valid for five years. To remain current, complete the separate two-day SMSTS Refresher before the certificate expires or retake the full five-day course. This slug maps the full course, not SMSTS-R.
Does SMSTS give me a CSCS Black Manager card?
No. CSCS explicitly says SMSTS is not accepted as the qualification for a card, though the certificate may be stored in My CSCS. A Black Manager card separately requires an accepted construction-management or technical qualification and the Managers and Professionals CITB HS&E test within the current application window.
Is SMSTS the same as the CITB MAP test?
No. SMSTS is a five-day Site Safety Plus course with exercises, trainer review and a 25-question mixed-format exam. The MAP test is a separate 50-question, 45-minute retained-knowledge test used in some card applications. GE700 and XA6 are SMSTS course references; GT200 is MAP revision material.
Does passing SMSTS prove occupational competence?
No. It demonstrates successful completion of this management safety course. It does not by itself prove competence for a particular managerial occupation, appoint a CDM dutyholder or replace project-specific design, planning, qualified advice, supervision, inspections, permits, examinations or emergency arrangements.
Does this module cover Northern Ireland construction law?
No. This tracker row uses a Great Britain scope and the Appendix G learning outcomes refer to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and CDM 2015. Northern Ireland has separate legislation and enforcement arrangements, so GB legal citations must not be transplanted without checking the site jurisdiction.