CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY TECHNICIAN®
The Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification is designed for individuals who demonstrate competency and work part-time or full-time in health and safety activities devoted to the prevention of construction illnesses and injuries. The CHST certification meets national standards for certifications.
Candidates for the CHST certification are typically employed as safety and health specialists on construction job sites, serving in either full-time or part-time positions. Typical individuals are responsible for safety and health on one or more significant construction projects or job sites. They may work for an owner, general contractor, subcontractor, or firm involved in construction or construction safety.
The CHST program recognizes that many employers assign responsibility for construction safety and health functions to those with very important roles in protecting workers. Many construction safety professionals use the CHST as a stepping-stone to greater roles in safety and health and, in some cases, to the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification.
REQUIREMENTS
- Will work part-time or full-time in construction safety (35% is the minimum) and have duties that require technical skills and knowledge in health and safety.
- Will have three (3) years of experience in construction health or safety.
- Must pass the CHST examination.
- Retain your certification.
- Pay annual renewal fee
- Meet recertification requirements
Many professions recognize the need for certification to identify competency in their respective fields. Just as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in accounting denotes a measurable standard of competency, the CSP, SMS, ASP, OHST, CHST, STS, STSC, and CIT are recognized as having met the professional challenge of illustrating competency through education and/or training, experience, and examination.
In the past twenty years, the responsibilities of safety professionals have expanded. Safety issues have become more complex and today’s safety professionals must continually increase their knowledge base. BCSP credential holders are among the most highly trained, educated, and experienced individuals in the safety field. In general, those who hold a BCSP credential are more likely to be hired, earn higher salaries, and receive more promotions and leadership assignments than their peers who do not hold the certification.
BCSP certifications are internationally accredited by the highest of qualifications set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the ISO/IEC 17024 standards for personnel certification programs.
Hiring Preferences and Salary Increases: Advertisements for safety professionals often identify the CSP certification or other BCSP credentials as a desired or required qualification along with education and experience. Human resource managers and those hiring people for government positions depend on professional certification to ensure candidates have met minimum qualifications.
Enhance Your Self-Esteem: The most frequent reported value derived from achieving a BCSP credential is increased self-esteem and personal satisfaction. Most newly-certified individuals report that achieving their certification increases their personal worth. A major factor is having met standards established by peers for professional safety practice. It indicates that you have risen above the competition because you have been evaluated by professional peers against those standards.
Share Your Knowledge for Professional Safety Practice: Having achieved a certification shows you have mastered the core knowledge required for professional safety practice. The Safety Salary Survey shows that the certification process provided them with appropriate qualifications in the field. The certification did what it is intended to do – ensured the knowledge necessary for practice.
Gain an Advantage Over Your Peers: Due to the high quality of BCSP credentials, as demonstrated by its compliance with national and/or internationally recognized standards for certification of persons, most holding a BCSP credential have created an edge for themselves. As recognition for BCSP credentials grow among employers, government agencies, peers, and the public; those holding one have a competitive advantage for safety positions and assignments.
Apply Online
BCSP requires you to create a profile at bcsp.org to start the application process. You will need to login for the first time by creating an account through the “My Profile” portal on the right hand corner of every bcsp.org webpage. Once you have created your account you will select the “Apply for Certification” menu button to start your application.
Are You Eligible?
Do You Have An Accredited Degree?
For a certification with a degree requirement (CSP and ASP), BCSP requires the educational institution to hold institutional accreditation from an accreditation body with institutional accrediting authority recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education.
When applying for the CSP or ASP with a degree from a college outside the United States, that degree will be evaluated for U.S. equivalency. Details on the documentation required, requested during the application process, can be found online here.
Do You Have Enough Experience?
In addition to the academic requirement, BCSP candidates must have professional safety experience. Professional safety experience must meet all of the following criteria to be considered acceptable by BCSP:
- Professional safety must be a function of the position
- The responsibility must be the prevention of harm to people, property, and the environment, rather than responsibility for responding to harmful events.
Purchase, Schedule, and Sit for the Exam
Once your application has been approved you may purchase an examination at any time by logging in to “My Profile” at bcsp.org and clicking on the “Purchase Exam” menu button. You have one (1) year from the approval of your application to purchase and sit for examination, and may sit for the exam at any time after a six (6) week waiting period from your last exam attempt. BCSP will notify the examination service that you are an eligible candidate so you may schedule a convenient time to sit for the exam.
BCSP’s examination service provider, Pearson VUE, has hundreds of test centers located around the world (locate a test center). Pearson VUE test centers are open every business day, some also having weekend and holiday hours. Examinations are delivered via computer at the test center. As soon as candidates submit their exam, official results are available. Candidates who fail may still be eligible to purchase a new examination.
Pay an Annual Renewal Fee and Meet Recertification Requirements
After completing all of the requirements, BCSP will award candidates who pass the certification exam the credential. All certifications are awarded on an annual basis and those holding one must pay an annual fee in order to retain the use. All credential holders must remain up-to-date with changes in professional practice by compiling their recertification points every five (5) years.