Free SSSTS mock test

Check your construction site supervision knowledge, then learn from the explanation behind each answer.

25 questions · Untimed practice · No registration required

Your SSSTS practice test

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Practice questions and answers

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A homeowner commissions non-business construction work involving just one contractor. Who normally carries out the domestic client’s CDM duties?
1. The homeowner in every case
2. The contractor carrying out the work
3. The local authority building inspector
4. The supplier of the building materials
Show answer and explanation
The contractor carrying out the work
For a single-contractor domestic project, the client duties normally pass to that contractor. Different arrangements apply to projects involving more than one contractor.
What is the main purpose of the health and safety file prepared for a construction project?
1. To record every worker’s daily attendance
2. To replace the construction phase plan during the job
3. To store the project’s invoices and purchase orders
4. To provide relevant safety information for subsequent work on the structure
Show answer and explanation
To provide relevant safety information for subsequent work on the structure
The file preserves information needed to plan later work safely, such as maintenance, refurbishment or demolition. It is not a daily site-management record.
Which document must set out the project’s health and safety arrangements before the construction phase begins?
1. The construction phase plan
2. The completed health and safety file
3. The accident book
4. The final building handover certificate
Show answer and explanation
The construction phase plan
A construction phase plan must be prepared before construction starts. It records arrangements, site rules and relevant measures for particular risks.
What is the essential requirement for the person planning a lifting operation?
1. They must always be the most senior person on site
2. They must be the person who owns the crane
3. They must have competence appropriate to the lift’s complexity and risks
4. They must hold any construction card, regardless of their lifting experience
Show answer and explanation
They must have competence appropriate to the lift’s complexity and risks
Lifting plans need suitable practical and theoretical knowledge. A job title alone is insufficient; complex lifts require more specific competence and detailed planning.
A worker shows a training certificate for a machine they will use. What else should a supervisor establish?
1. That the certificate means no further supervision is needed
2. That the worker is willing to accept the risk in writing
3. That the worker has worked on any construction site before
4. That the worker has the knowledge, skills and experience to use it safely for this task
Show answer and explanation
That the worker has the knowledge, skills and experience to use it safely for this task
Training contributes to competence, but the worker must also be capable of doing the particular work safely. Equipment or task changes may require further instruction.
A machine’s required guard is missing, exposing a dangerous moving part. What should the supervisor arrange?
1. Allow a trained operator to use it more slowly
2. Prevent its use until effective protection is restored and it is safe to operate
3. Use a warning sign instead of the guard
4. Continue until the next scheduled maintenance visit
Show answer and explanation
Prevent its use until effective protection is restored and it is safe to operate
PUWER requires effective measures to prevent access to dangerous machinery parts. Experience or warnings do not replace the required protection.
When planning a task at height, what should be considered first in the control hierarchy?
1. Whether the work at height can reasonably practicably be avoided
2. Which fall-arrest harness is cheapest
3. Whether a worker is confident using a ladder
4. How quickly the work can be completed without edge protection
Show answer and explanation
Whether the work at height can reasonably practicably be avoided
First consider avoiding work at height, for example by working from ground level. If it cannot be avoided, prevent falls before relying on measures that limit a fall’s consequences.
Which record documents a competent person’s detailed statutory thorough examination of a lifting sling?
1. A delivery note from the supplier
2. A general site risk assessment
3. A report of thorough examination
4. A record of a toolbox talk about lifting
Show answer and explanation
A report of thorough examination
A thorough examination requires a written report, including the examination date, next due date and dangerous defects. It is distinct from routine pre-use checks.
Which activity is an example of a routine workplace safety inspection?
1. Reviewing the organisation’s entire management system against an audit standard
2. Walking the work area to check current conditions and whether controls are being followed
3. Calculating last year’s injury rate without visiting the work area
4. Checking only that the insurance policy has been renewed
Show answer and explanation
Walking the work area to check current conditions and whether controls are being followed
Regular workplace checks help identify overlooked hazards and unsafe working. They complement wider reviews of the management system rather than replacing them.
A falling object narrowly misses a worker. Why should the near miss be reported and investigated?
1. To prove that no action is needed because nobody was injured
2. To identify someone to blame before considering the causes
3. To replace all future inspections with incident reports
4. To understand failed controls and prevent a similar event causing injury
Show answer and explanation
To understand failed controls and prevent a similar event causing injury
Near misses reveal weaknesses before someone is hurt. Findings should lead to practical improvements, with lessons shared and actions followed through.
A substantial part of a scaffold that is 6 metres high collapses. Nobody is injured. How is this treated under RIDDOR?
1. It is a reportable dangerous occurrence even without an injury
2. It is reportable only if someone needs hospital treatment
3. It is reportable only if the scaffold is over 10 metres high
4. It is never reportable when nobody is injured
Show answer and explanation
It is a reportable dangerous occurrence even without an injury
RIDDOR covers collapse of a substantial part of a scaffold more than 5 metres high. Other scaffold-collapse categories can also be reportable; an injury is not required for this category.
A worker wants to remove a temporary support because it obstructs access. The change has not been approved. What should the supervisor do?
1. Let the worker remove it if the permanent structure looks complete
2. Move it to a nearby position without checking the design
3. Prevent the change and refer it through the site’s temporary-works arrangements
4. Allow removal provided the task is completed quickly
Show answer and explanation
Prevent the change and refer it through the site’s temporary-works arrangements
Temporary works must remain suitable for their intended loads and purpose. Proposed changes need competent assessment and coordination, including the appointed coordinator where one is used.
Repeated exposure to vibration from hand-held power tools can cause which condition?
1. Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)
2. Asbestosis
3. Noise-induced hearing loss
4. Heat exhaustion
Show answer and explanation
Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)
Hand-transmitted vibration can cause permanent damage to the hands and arms. Supervisors should ensure exposure is assessed and controls are applied, rather than treating discomfort as normal.
When should suitable welfare facilities be available to construction workers?
1. Only after the site has been operating for one week
2. From the start of the work and throughout the project
3. Only when the workforce exceeds 20 people
4. Only after a worker requests them
Show answer and explanation
From the start of the work and throughout the project
Welfare is required from the start, including suitable toilet, washing and rest arrangements. The type and number of facilities must suit the work and people using them.
An enclosed escape route depends on artificial lighting. What is the purpose of emergency lighting there?
1. To provide enough light for all work to continue as normal
2. To remove the need for escape-route signs
3. To replace the site’s fire-warning system
4. To allow people to escape safely if the normal lighting fails
Show answer and explanation
To allow people to escape safely if the normal lighting fails
Emergency lighting on such routes must operate when the primary lighting fails. It needs to enable safe escape, not maintain normal production lighting.
A subcontractor’s proposed method would block a route needed by another trade. What should happen before the affected work starts?
1. Let the subcontractor proceed because its method is already written down
2. Allow each trade to decide independently who has priority
3. Resolve the conflict and agree coordinated controls with those responsible
4. Wait for a near miss to establish whether the route is needed
Show answer and explanation
Resolve the conflict and agree coordinated controls with those responsible
Construction work must be planned and coordinated so one activity does not expose others to unmanaged risk. Written methods must fit the site’s actual arrangements.
Packaging and offcuts are building up across a pedestrian access route. What is the appropriate supervisory response?
1. Arrange prompt removal and keep the route clear through regular waste management
2. Leave them until the end of the project
3. Put up a sign asking everyone to step over them
4. Move pedestrians onto the vehicle route without assessing the change
Show answer and explanation
Arrange prompt removal and keep the route clear through regular waste management
Materials and waste must not obstruct access or emergency routes. Clear responsibilities and regular removal help prevent trips and reduce fire risks.
On a project involving more than one contractor, who coordinates health and safety during the pre-construction phase?
1. The principal contractor solely because it manages the site
2. The principal designer
3. The building-control inspector
4. The person who delivers the first materials
Show answer and explanation
The principal designer
The principal designer plans, manages, monitors and coordinates health and safety in pre-construction. The principal contractor has the corresponding coordination role during construction.
Why is keeping plant from touching an overhead power line not, by itself, enough to make nearby work safe?
1. All overhead lines automatically switch off when plant approaches
2. Tyres always insulate the operator from electrical danger
3. Electricity can flash over when plant approaches a live line without touching it
4. Only direct contact by a worker’s hand can cause an electric shock
Show answer and explanation
Electricity can flash over when plant approaches a live line without touching it
Close approach can cause a flashover. Work must be planned with the line owner, using measures such as avoidance, isolation and controlled clearances appropriate to the situation.
The equipment and work sequence change after a risk assessment has been completed. What should the supervisor ensure?
1. The existing assessment is kept unchanged until its annual review date
2. The new equipment is used first to see whether any incident occurs
3. The assessment is replaced by verbal reassurance from the operator
4. The assessment and controls are reviewed for the changed work before it proceeds
Show answer and explanation
The assessment and controls are reviewed for the changed work before it proceeds
Changes to equipment, processes or people can create new risks. Review whether controls remain effective and update the assessment to reflect the changes.
Which extinguisher type does HSE identify for an electrical fire, for use by a person trained to do so?
1. Water
2. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
3. Ordinary foam
4. Wet chemical intended for cooking oils
Show answer and explanation
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
HSE identifies CO2 for electrical fires. Extinguishers must suit the fire risk, and nominated users need training; having an extinguisher does not replace alarm and evacuation arrangements.
After a subcontractor has been selected and inducted, what should a supervisor continue to do?
1. Check how the work is being carried out and address departures from agreed controls
2. Assume the induction removes the need for further supervision
3. Check the paperwork only, regardless of conditions on site
4. Leave every safety decision to the subcontractor without coordination
Show answer and explanation
Check how the work is being carried out and address departures from agreed controls
Supervision remains necessary after appointment and induction. Its level should reflect the risks and the people’s competence, with arrangements clear to everyone involved.
A task will involve cutting concrete blocks. Which approach best controls the dust risk?
1. Cut dry outdoors and assume the wind removes the risk
2. Rely only on a disposable mask without assessing the task
3. Reduce cutting where possible and use suitable dust suppression or extraction, with any additional RPE the assessment requires
4. Sweep up the dust after cutting instead of controlling it as it is produced
Show answer and explanation
Reduce cutting where possible and use suitable dust suppression or extraction, with any additional RPE the assessment requires
Prevent or reduce dust generation first, then control remaining dust at source. Water suppression or suitable extraction may be needed, with appropriate respiratory protection where the assessment requires it.
Which arrangement most directly reduces contact between pedestrians and moving construction vehicles?
1. Give pedestrians high-visibility clothing and allow unrestricted shared routes
2. Rely only on reversing alarms
3. Ask pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers instead of providing routes
4. Separate pedestrian routes from vehicle routes, with suitable barriers and controlled crossings
Show answer and explanation
Separate pedestrian routes from vehicle routes, with suitable barriers and controlled crossings
Physical separation and planned crossings reduce opportunities for collisions. Visibility aids and clothing can support these controls but do not replace good traffic planning.
During refurbishment, a worker finds material that may contain asbestos and is not covered by the information provided. What is the correct immediate response?
1. Stop the affected work and report it so the material and safe next steps can be established
2. Carry on carefully because a survey was completed elsewhere in the building
3. Break off a sample with a power tool to identify it
4. Remove it using the same precautions as ordinary construction dust
Show answer and explanation
Stop the affected work and report it so the material and safe next steps can be established
Suspected asbestos requires work to stop and the employer or building owner to be informed. Do not disturb the material until adequate information and suitable arrangements are in place.

How to use this mock test

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What you will practise

Questions focus on day-to-day supervision: communicating safe systems of work, recognising hazards, checking controls and knowing when to stop and escalate unsafe work.

Use the explanations to identify topics to revisit with your course materials and instructor. These questions are an independent revision aid, not a copy of a CITB question bank.

Looking for manager practice? Try the SMSTS mock test.

How the official SSSTS assessment differs

The official SSSTS exam contains 25 questions worth 30 marks. It lasts 30 minutes, with a pass mark of 24 out of 30 (80%). The relevant course workbook may be used only during the final 10 minutes.

The full course also includes mandatory exercises, a trainer review and a toolbox talk. Your instructor explains the assessment arrangements. Completing this practice quiz does not complete any part of the formal assessment.

Our untimed, single-answer practice quiz uses a different format and scoring system. It does not reproduce the official examination.

Assessment guidance checked against CITB’s current scheme rules on 22 October 2026. Refer to the current rules and your joining instructions before attending.

Questions about the practice test

Are these official CITB exam questions?

No. These are independent practice questions written for Skills Training Group. They help you review safety topics; they are not taken from an official CITB examination paper.

Does my score mean I will pass the course?

No. Your score only reflects your answers to this practice set. The official course has different assessment requirements, and the questions may cover other aspects of the syllabus.

Can I use this when preparing for a Refresher?

These questions may help you revisit core safety topics, but they do not replace the Refresher or its course materials. You need a current, valid certificate for the corresponding Refresher. Read the SSSTS Refresher details before booking.

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Your SSSTS practice test

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What you will practise

How the official SSSTS assessment differs

Questions about the practice test