CCHEST

Since its beginning in 1985, the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists (CCHEST) has provided the service of certifying health, environmental, and safety technologists, technicians, supervisors, and workers. CCHEST is a division of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).

The various certification programs offered through CCHEST include the following:

• Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST)
• Certified Loss Control Specialist (CLCS)
• Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST)
• Safety Trained Supervisor (STS)

OHST and CLCS Certification Programs

Individuals with the OHST or CLCS title are persons whose job description includes the performance of occupational health and safety activities on a full-time or part-time basis. These duties may be secondary to other job functions. Some examples of occupational health and safety activities include making assessments at the worksite concerning risks and possible hazards, investigating incidents, maintaining records regarding incidents, and preparing plans for emergency response.

OHST/CLCS candidates must spend at least 35% of their work hours in occupational health or safety. They must have duties requiring technical knowledge and skills related to occupational health or safety. In addition to having five years of experience in occupational health or safety, they must pass the CCHEST test for OHST/CLCS certification.

The computer-based OHST/CLCS examination is comprised of 200 questions, all multiple-choice. Some of these questions involve computations. The time allowed for the examination is four hours.

CHST Certification Program

Typical CHST candidates work as safety and health specialists on construction job sites, either full-time or part-time. Certain requirements in education and experience must be met before the candidate can sit for the CCHEST test. The computer-based, four-hour test has 200 multiple-choice questions in the following areas: Program Management (29%), Worksite Auditing (40%), Training (27%), and Professional Responsibility (4%).

STS Certification Program

The STS certification program is intended for individuals who are managers or first-line supervisors who have a safety responsibility for a work group. Safety Trained Supervisors are not safety specialists or safety practitioners; rather, their safety responsibility is an adjunct to their job duties. Typically, they work in a craft or trade, in leadership, supervision or management, or in a technical specialty. The STS safety responsibility is usually less than 33% of the total job duties. To be eligible to sit for the CCHEST STS examination, the candidate must be of good moral character and have two years of relevant work experience, along with one year of experience as a supervisor or safety leader of a work group. The computer-based, two-hour test has 100 multiple-choice questions.

Commercial Resources for CCHEST Test Preparation (provided for information only, no endorsement implied)

CCHEST Test Study Guide from Mometrix Media

CCHEST Test Flashcards from Mometrix Media