There are many recognised courses available in occupational health and safety. Many courses can lead to further post graduate qualifications. They offer students a gateway into cementing a professional career in occupational health and safety, and employees and managers the chance to acquire the necessary theory and knowledge to apply in their workplace.
Most courses and qualifications cover all industries, commerce and the public sector workplaces but there is a need for more specific courses that take into account the specialist needs of certain industries. The Site Management Safety Training Scheme or SMSTS, is a qualification for executives in the construction business. This is a course which traditionally is taken over a period of a week and will provide the supervisor with a license of 5 years. It needs to be re-taken after this time to refresh knowledge and ensure the candidate is aware of any changes in technology, accepted theory or policy.
There are no special requirements for this course but it is aimed at managers, supervisors and executives in direct charge of large jobs on major construction sites. The SMSTS candidate is likely to be dealing with issues such as workers in confined spaces, at height, with scaffolding, with electricity and water and from time to time with demolition teams. More and moreemployers are looking for SMSTS certification for their construction site managers. If you are looking to further your career or to add more gravity to your CV then this is certainly a straight forward and effective way to achieve this.
Fundamentally, the SMSTS training course includes a thorough instruction in the basic knowledge and theory of health and safety procedures. However special attention will be paid to the responsibilities and duties of the health and safety administrators in your location and also how processes are actually applied within the workplace. A core axle point of the course is the health and safety procedures which were laid down in the Construction Design and Management regulations of 2007. These regulations specifically guide a manager through the correct processes – including scheduling assessments; how checks should take place; ensuring the site is safe before work begins and that how to guarantee the site will be safe during the period of work.
Executives taking the SMSTS will also be tutored in how to assess whether there is a likelihood of an accident in the future on the site. You will be able to assess statistics gathered from health and safety records to recognize trends for instance in accidents. This gives the manager a great deal of insight into inherent problems. Instead of reacting to problems that have already happened, steps can be taken to proactively prevent future anomalies.
