CITB HS&E Test Study Tips: Category-by-Category Prep Strategies

General Responsibilities, Legal Duties & Accident Reporting (20%)

• Learn the Health and Safety at Work Act's general duties precisely — what employers owe employees, and what employees owe themselves and others.
• Understand CDM 2015 roles — principal contractor and principal designer responsibilities — even if you're not in either role yourself.
• Memorize RIDDOR's reportable categories, including what qualifies as a major injury versus a dangerous occurrence.
• Review the hierarchy of risk control (eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE) as a framework that connects to nearly every other category.

Health & Welfare (30%)

• Know PPE purposes specifically — why each type of protective equipment exists and what hazard it addresses, not just that it should be worn.
• Learn the TILE framework for manual handling assessment (Task, Individual, Load, Environment) and correct lifting technique.
• Understand COSHH and specific occupational health hazards — silica dust, HAVS, noise-induced hearing loss — including how each is caused and controlled.
• Review welfare facility requirements, since this is concrete, testable content often overlooked in favor of more "hands-on" safety topics.

Working at Height, Excavations & Site Safety (30%)

• Learn the work-at-height hierarchy of control (avoid, prevent, minimise) as the organizing framework for this category.
• Understand scaffold and ladder safety specifics, including the correct ladder angle (roughly 75 degrees, or the 1-in-4 rule) and scaffold tag systems.
• Review excavation collapse risks and support methods, plus the importance of checking for underground services before digging.
• Study site transport and pedestrian segregation concepts, since vehicle-related incidents are a significant construction site risk.

Fire Prevention, Emergency Procedures & Specific Hazards (20%)

• Master fire extinguisher colour coding exactly — which colour/label corresponds to which extinguisher type and fire class.
• Understand the fire triangle (heat, fuel, oxygen) as the basis for both fire prevention and firefighting methods.
• Learn electrical safety specifics, including why 110V reduced-voltage equipment is standard on UK construction sites.
• Review emergency evacuation procedures and the role of a fire warden/marshal, since these are concrete, procedural facts.

General Strategy: No Category Left Behind

Because this test requires passing every category individually, resist the urge to over-focus on your favorite or most familiar topic area — systematically confirm readiness across all four categories before test day.

Put These Tips Into Practice

Our CITB HS&E exam page has free practice quizzes broken out by category, plus a full mock exam, to help you confirm you're ready across the board.