SSSTS Course Changes

What You Need to Know About the Updated SSSTS Assessment

The Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) is an important qualification for construction professionals who have, or are about to take on, supervisory responsibilities.

The CITB course is designed to help supervisors understand their health and safety responsibilities, manage risks effectively and contribute towards a positive safety culture on site. CITB currently describes SSSTS as a two-day course for new and aspiring site supervisors, available both in the classroom and through remote delivery.

As the construction industry continues to evolve, so does the way SSSTS training is delivered and assessed. The course is being updated, with changes being introduced to the assessment structure and practical exercises. These changes place greater emphasis on delegates participating in their training, applying what they learn and demonstrating their understanding throughout the programme.

For delegates considering an SSSTS course, it is therefore useful to understand what is changing and what they can expect when completing their training.

At SAMS LTD, we are committed to ensuring our delegates receive training that meets the latest CITB requirements while maintaining the high standards of course delivery and learner support our customers expect.

Our CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS) Online Course provides construction professionals with the opportunity to complete recognised SSSTS training online, making the qualification accessible without the need to travel to a conventional training venue.

In this article, we explain what SSSTS is, who the course is designed for, what delegates learn and, importantly, the changes being introduced to the SSSTS assessment, mandatory exercises and refresher training.

What is SSSTS?

SSSTS stands for Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme. It forms part of CITB’s Site Safety Plus suite and is specifically designed for people who currently supervise, or are preparing to supervise, construction activities.

Supervisors occupy an important position on any construction project. They are often the people responsible for communicating instructions, monitoring activities, identifying unsafe practices and making sure agreed working methods are being followed by the workforce.

For that reason, a supervisor needs more than practical construction experience. They also need an appropriate understanding of health and safety law, risk management, communication and their responsibilities towards the people working under their supervision.

The SSSTS training course helps develop this knowledge.

CITB states that the two-day course covers legislation affecting safe working in building, construction and civil engineering. It highlights workplace risk assessment, implementation of control measures and effective communication as important elements in sustaining a positive health and safety culture.

The course helps supervisors understand their responsibilities for maintaining health and safety on construction sites. It covers areas including health and safety legislation, risk assessment, method statements, site inductions, toolbox talks, monitoring site activities and effective communication.

If you’re looking for a flexible way to gain this recognised qualification, you can find out more about the SAMS CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS) Online Course and our upcoming training dates.

Who is SSSTS for?

SSSTS is particularly relevant to construction professionals who have supervisory responsibilities or are progressing into a supervisory role.

CITB confirms there are no formal entry requirements for the course, although delegates should hold, or be about to hold, a site supervisor role. Previous health and safety knowledge is also recommended.

This makes SSSTS courses relevant not only to people who already have “supervisor” in their job title, but also experienced construction workers who are preparing to take on greater responsibility.

The course can include:

Site supervisors
Working supervisors
Foremen
Team leaders
Chargehands
Assistant site managers
Experienced operatives moving into supervision
Construction professionals preparing for greater supervisory responsibility

These audiences are identified in the existing SAMS article.

For someone progressing from an experienced operative into supervision, an SSSTS course can help bridge the gap between understanding how to perform their own work safely and understanding how to oversee the safety of other people.

What does an SSSTS course involve?

The full CITB SSSTS course is delivered over two days.

During that time, delegates explore the responsibilities of a construction site supervisor and how health and safety principles should be applied to real construction environments.

CITB identifies several important aims for the course. These include understanding how health and safety law applies to supervisors, recognising supervisory responsibilities for controlling site activities safely, appreciating the importance of risk assessments and method statements, delivering effective inductions and toolbox talks, monitoring site activities and intervening when bad practice is identified.

This is important because effective supervision isn’t simply about knowing health and safety rules. A supervisor needs to be able to communicate expectations, recognise when agreed controls aren’t working and take appropriate action when unsafe practices are identified.

Course topics include:

Health and safety legislation
Supervisory responsibilities
Risk assessments
Method statements
Hazard identification and risk control
Site inductions
Toolbox talks
Safety briefings
Monitoring site activities
Accident prevention
Occupational health
Site welfare
Environmental considerations
Communication and leadership
Promoting a positive health and safety culture

These topics form part of the existing course overview supplied for this article.

The course is designed to be interactive, allowing delegates to discuss workplace situations and consider how health and safety principles can be applied in practice. That practical emphasis is becoming even more significant with the updated course structure.

SSSTS is changing – what are the new assessment requirements?

There are important changes being introduced to the SSSTS course and assessment structure.

The updated approach described in the supplied SAMS course update places greater emphasis on participation, practical exercises and delegates demonstrating their understanding during the course rather than concentrating solely on a traditional end assessment.

This reflects an important principle in construction safety training: knowing an answer in an examination and being able to apply that knowledge while supervising people on a live construction site are not necessarily the same thing.

For delegates booking future SSSTS training courses, active participation will therefore be an increasingly important part of the learning experience.

1. A new SSSTS assessment

The SSSTS assessment is changing as part of the updated course structure.

Delegates will need to demonstrate their understanding of the course content through the revised assessment process and mandatory exercises.

The intention is to create a more involved learning experience in which delegates don’t simply attend presentations before concentrating on an assessment at the end.

This means that active participation throughout the course is increasingly important.

2. Ten mandatory exercises

One of the most significant updates outlined in the new course structure is the introduction of 10 mandatory exercises.

These exercises are intended to encourage delegates to apply their learning rather than simply remember information. For someone working as a supervisor, this is particularly relevant because their role requires them to make decisions, communicate safety information and respond to situations in a working construction environment.

The exercises should therefore help connect the knowledge covered by the SSSTS training course with the practical responsibilities delegates encounter on site.

The updated SSSTS course includes 10 mandatory exercises.

These exercises are designed to encourage delegates to apply the knowledge covered during the course and consider how it relates to their responsibilities as a supervisor.

Delegates should therefore expect to participate throughout the course rather than simply listening to presentations and preparing for an assessment at the end.

3. Safety-critical questions are being removed

Another change identified in the supplied update relates to the way knowledge is assessed.

Previously, safety-critical questions formed a specific part of the SSSTS examination requirements. Under the updated approach described for the revised course, these are being removed as a distinct assessment requirement.

This doesn’t make safety-critical knowledge less important. Rather, it forms part of the wider change in how delegates’ understanding is assessed across the course.

Another change to the SSSTS assessment is the removal of the safety-critical questions.

This forms part of the revised assessment approach and changes how delegates’ knowledge is assessed during the course.

For context, the February 2026 version of CITB’s SSSTS scheme rules still described four safety-critical questions within the examination, illustrating the significance of this change from the previous assessment format.

4. No risk assessment to be completed

Risk assessment remains fundamental to effective construction health and safety and continues to feature prominently in the aims of SSSTS. CITB specifically identifies understanding the importance of risk assessments and implementing necessary control measures as part of the course.

What is changing is the way this subject is approached within the assessment.

Rather than requiring delegates to produce a risk assessment themselves as part of the course assessment, the revised approach described in the supplied update involves discussing an existing risk assessment.

Under the updated approach, delegates will no longer be required to complete a risk assessment as part of the course assessment.

Instead, delegates will discuss an existing risk assessment.

This allows the course to focus on understanding how risk assessments are used in the workplace, including how supervisors can identify hazards, understand control measures and communicate safe working practices to their teams.

For supervisors, this has clear practical relevance. They may not always be the person originally creating every risk assessment, but they need to understand the assessment, recognise the controls it requires and ensure those controls are communicated and implemented effectively.

5. A new “What Do You Know?” exercise

The revised course also introduces a “What Do You Know?” exercise at the beginning of the training.

Construction delegates arrive at an SSSTS course with very different backgrounds. One learner may have spent decades working on sites, while another may be relatively new to a supervisory role. Establishing existing knowledge at the beginning of the course can therefore provide useful context for the learning that follows.

The updated course also introduces a “What Do You Know?” exercise at the beginning of the course.

This provides an opportunity to establish delegates’ existing knowledge before the main course content begins.

It also encourages delegates to think about their current understanding of health and safety and how this can be developed during the training.

Rather than viewing this simply as another test, delegates can use it as an opportunity to recognise where their existing knowledge is strong and where the course can help develop their understanding.

What is changing for the SSSTS Refresher?

The SSSTS Refresher (SSSTS-R) remains an important part of maintaining the qualification.

CITB currently describes SSSTS-R as a one-day course for existing supervisors who have previously passed SSSTS or an earlier refresher. It is designed to refresh knowledge with up-to-date information while reinforcing risk assessment, control measures and effective communication.

The supplied course update explains that the refresher is also changing in terms of how theory and exercises are incorporated into the day.

One of the changes to the refresher course is that the SSSTS Refresher will no longer be split between theory and exercises.

Instead, the course structure will provide a more integrated approach to learning and exercises.

This means delegates should expect to engage with the course content throughout the day, applying their knowledge as they progress.

This integrated approach reinforces the wider direction of the SSSTS changes: encouraging active learning and application rather than treating theory, exercises and assessment as completely separate parts of the training.

What are the SSSTS refresher requirements?

Your SSSTS certificate is valid for five years. CITB states that delegates wishing to remain certified need to retake the course or complete the SSSTS Refresher before their current certification expires.

The one-day refresher is intended for people who have already successfully completed the full two-day course or an eligible previous refresher.

This makes the expiry date on your SSSTS certificate particularly important. Leaving renewal arrangements until the final few days can create unnecessary problems if a suitable course isn’t available.

Your SSSTS certificate is currently valid for five years. To maintain your qualification, you should complete the SSSTS Refresher before your existing certificate expires.

The SSSTS Refresher is intended for delegates who have already completed the two-day SSSTS course or a previous refresher course.

If your certificate is approaching its expiry date, it is important to plan your refresher training in advance rather than leaving it until the last minute.

CITB’s current refresher information likewise confirms that SSSTS-R is a one-day course and that its certification is valid for five years.

Why are the SSSTS changes important?

The purpose of these changes is to ensure that the course continues to provide relevant and effective training for construction supervisors.

For supervisors, SSSTS training shouldn’t simply be about gaining an SSSTS certificate to add to a CV or satisfy a site requirement. The real value comes from understanding how health and safety responsibilities apply when supervising actual construction activities.

Supervisors regularly need to recognise hazards, communicate instructions, monitor behaviour, challenge unsafe practices and make sure appropriate controls are being followed.

The updated exercises encourage delegates to think about how the principles covered during training apply to their own workplace, teams and responsibilities.

At SAMS, we believe that effective training should be engaging, practical and relevant to the people attending it.

That is why greater participation can be valuable. Discussing realistic situations and applying knowledge during the course can help bridge the gap between knowing health and safety theory and putting it into practice when supervising a construction team.

SAMS commitment to SSSTS compliance

At SAMS LTD, compliance and quality are central to the way we deliver our training.

CITB’s Site Safety Plus scheme rules and supporting documents are subject to continuing review and update, and CITB specifically advises training providers to ensure they are working from the latest versions.

As the revised requirements are introduced, SAMS is committed to making sure our SSSTS training courses remain aligned with the relevant CITB requirements.

With the SSSTS changes being introduced, our team is committed to ensuring that our courses are fully aligned with the latest requirements.

Over the coming weeks, we will be reviewing and implementing the necessary changes to our SSSTS training, assessment processes and course delivery.

Our priority is to make sure that delegates receive training that meets the latest requirements without compromising the high training standards that SAMS is known for.

We will continue to monitor updates and ensure our trainers are fully prepared to deliver the revised course requirements.

For delegates, that means you can continue to expect a structured, professional course SSSTS experience designed around both CITB requirements and the practical responsibilities of construction supervision.

Book your SSSTS course with SAMS LTD

If you are a construction supervisor, foreman, team leader or experienced operative moving into a supervisory position, completing an SSSTS course can provide important knowledge for managing health, safety and welfare on site.

For people struggling to fit traditional classroom training around their existing commitments, remote delivery can offer greater flexibility. CITB confirms that the two-day SSSTS programme can be completed either in a classroom or through remote delivery.

SAMS provides CITB-approved SSSTS training online and via classroom-based delivery, giving delegates flexibility when completing their training. Our current SSSTS course is delivered over two days.

Our CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS) Online Course allows you to undertake recognised training remotely while still participating in an instructor-led course.

Whether you’re looking for an SSSTS online course for yourself or arranging online SSSTS courses for employees, SAMS can help you find appropriate dates and understand the training requirements.

If your existing SSSTS certificate is approaching its five-year expiry date, make sure you also consider your refresher requirements and arrange your training in good time.

Find out more, view available dates and book your CITB Site Supervisor Safety Training (SSSTS) Online Course with SAMS LTD.

SSSTS changes – key points at a glance

The updated course represents an important development in how supervisors participate in and are assessed during their SSSTS training.

Although the core purpose of the qualification remains focused on helping supervisors manage construction health and safety effectively, the revised approach places greater emphasis on engagement and applying knowledge throughout the course.

For anyone considering an SSSTS course online, already booked onto training or responsible for arranging courses for employees, the main changes outlined in the supplied course update are worth understanding before the new structure is introduced.

SSSTS is being updated.
A new assessment approach is being introduced.
There will be 10 mandatory exercises.
Safety-critical questions are being removed.
Delegates will no longer complete a risk assessment as part of the course; instead, they will discuss an existing risk assessment.
A “What Do You Know?” exercise will take place at the beginning of the course.
The SSSTS Refresher will no longer be split between theory and exercises.
SSSTS certification remains valid for five years, with the refresher designed for those who have previously completed SSSTS or an earlier refresher.

These key points have been retained exactly from the supplied SAMS article.

SAMS LTD is committed to implementing these changes while maintaining the high standards of training, support and compliance that our delegates expect.

If you are preparing to take on supervisory responsibilities or need to renew and develop your existing construction safety knowledge, SAMS LTD can help you access recognised CITB training through our SSSTS Online Course