The Federation of Piling Specialist’s (FPS), Piling Site Supervisor Training Scheme (PSSTS) has been recognised as equivalent to the Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) by the UK Contractors Group (UKCG), its largest client group.

UKCG recognition of the FPS’s 2-day safety course, confirms that Supervisors with PSSTS have been trained to the same high standard of the SSSTS, and have satisfied UKCG requirements.

FPS Chairman, Jim De Waele emphasised, “PSSTS is more appropriate than the SSSTS for supervisors on piling sites, as it gives greater prominence to those aspects of site safety that are particularly important for piling, such as piling platforms and rig guarding as well as auger cleaning requirements.”

In addition, UKCG has confirmed that the Site Managers Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), often asked for by UKCG members, is only applicable on a very small number of particularly complex sites and that they [UKCG] do not require it under their policy for piling site supervisors.

Clarification that the FPS’s PSSTS satisfies UKGC requirements, and is an alternative safety training scheme to SSSTS, as well as the confirmation that SMSTS is not required except in a few complex sites, should help FPS members gain access to sites.

Jim De Waele added: “This clarification by UKCG is important as we [the FPS] are keen to get this message out there and onto construction sites, so that there is no confusion over what is and is not applicable on site. We still get some clients insisting that they will only accept SSTS. It is difficult to understand why they think that a general course is more appropriate on a piling site than a course specially tailored for piling site supervisors. It is equally baffling why they try to insist on SMSTS, which is for site managers, for foremen whose role is to supervise the piling.”

Confirmation of the equivalence of PSSTS can be found on the UKCG website at www.ukcg.org.uk.