Guide · Updated 2026-10-02
Does SMSTS Cover SSSTS?
No. SMSTS does not cover or replace SSSTS. They are separate CITB Site Safety Plus courses with different audiences — site management versus site supervision. Some clients may accept SMSTS for a person who also supervises, but that is a written client rule, not an automatic scheme equivalence.
Quick answer
Keep SMSTS and SSSTS as distinct requirements. If a supervisor role needs SSSTS, an SMSTS certificate alone should not be marked as meeting that row unless your documented client exception says so — and even then, label the exception clearly.
Why people blur them
Both sit in the Site Safety Plus family and both renew on familiar multi-year cycles. Busy matrices tempt editors to collapse “site safety course” into one column. That hides the first certificate to expire and confuses gate packs that name SSSTS specifically.
| Course | Usual audience |
|---|---|
| SSSTS | First-line supervisors |
| SMSTS | Site managers / those managing construction work |
| Refreshers | Separate refresher products with their own timing rules |
Healthy matrix habit
- Two requirements, two expiries, two files
- No “SMSTS = SSSTS green” macros
- Review acting-up supervisors for the course the site named
- Book refreshers against each certificate’s own end date
Honest limits
FieldClear does not reinterpret Site Safety Plus equivalences. Confirm acceptance rules with the principal contractor and course rules with CITB. Not legal advice. FieldClear does not certify competence or accredit organisations.
Stop checking expiry dates manually
Track worker certificates and receive reminders before they lapse.
14-day free trial. No card required.