The Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician (OHST) exam is administered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) to assess the occupational hygiene knowledge and skills of prospective safety practitioners.
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OHST Exam Eligibility
To be eligible for the exam, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must have a high school diploma or GED
- You must have at least three years of occupational health and safety experience while working professionally
OHST Exam Outline
The OHST exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions, and you will be given a time limit of 4 hours.
The exam is split into seven content domains, and the questions in each domain are categorized as knowledge-based and/or skills-based.
1. Fundamental Math and Science and Business Calculations/Analysis (9.7%)
The skills-based questions in this domain assess your ability to calculate performance metrics, while the knowledge questions evaluate the following:
- Fundamental mathematics
- Fundamental statistics
- Fundamental biology
- Fundamental physics
- Fundamental chemistry
- Benchmarking procedures and standards
- Quantitative measures that track and report performance
- Basic business financial terminology
- Qualitative data collection and analysis
- Basic concepts related to economic effects of losses
2. Safety, Health, and Environmental Programs and Risk Management (18.3%)
The skills-based questions in this domain assess your ability to assess external and internal risks to facilities, while the knowledge questions evaluate the following:
- Job hazard analysis
- Fundamental aspects of risk analysis techniques
- When to consult with equipment manufacturers, subject matter experts, and suppliers
- Relevant international safety, health, environmental, and security standards and best practices
- Basic concepts of hazardous waste management
- Basic concepts of process safety management
- Auditing processes and practices
- Behavior-based safety principles
- Interview techniques for process improvement or conducting investigations
- Audit practices and processes
- Fundamental risk management concepts
- Processes for continuous improvement
- Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS)
3. Hazard Identification and Control (31.4%)
The questions in this domain are all knowledge-based and evaluate the following:
- Hazardous materials management
- Hazards and controls associated with various energy sources and environments
- Requirements for inspecting and operating material-handling equipment
- Safety practices associated with motor vehicle and heavy equipment operation
- Basic components of process flow diagrams and technical drawings
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Confined space requirements
- Electrical safe work practices
- Hierarchy of controls
- Fundamental building design and construction
- Safety procedures associated with hoisting and rigging
4. Health Hazards and Basic Industrial Hygiene (14.3%)
The questions in this domain are all knowledge-based and evaluate the following:
- Acute and chronic occupational exposures and control methods
- Sampling equipment, limitations, and applications
- Occupational illnesses
- Basic concepts of ergonomics
- Differences between active and passive sampling equipment
- Hazards and controls associated with biological safety and containment
- Stress-related conditions and responses
- Respiratory hazards and controls
- Principles of medical surveillance and their relevance to health hazards
- Common occupational injuries
- Hazards and controls associated with noise
- Basic concepts of industrial hygiene sample and indicator media
5. Emergency Preparedness, Fire Prevention, and Security (7.4%)
The skills-based questions in this domain assess your ability to participate in emergency response drills and exercises, while the knowledge questions evaluate the following:
- Disaster and emergency response/crisis planning
- Agents that could be used in terrorist events
- Use of, inspection of, and required performance tests for emergency equipment
- Emergency response action plans and procedures
- Techniques for conducting and evaluating the effectiveness of exercises and drills
- Organizational and community response plans and integration
- Incident command system
- Appropriate selection and use of available emergency response equipment
6. Organizational Communication and Training/Education (13.7%)
The skills-based questions in this domain assess your ability to participate in organizational teams, develop and deliver effective presentations, influence safety-related behaviors, and communicate effectively. The knowledge questions evaluate the following:
- Types of records that must be retained
- Methods to evaluate student retention of learning objectives
- Training delivery media and technologies
- Basic concepts of adult learning theory
- Basic management principles of authority, accountability, and responsibility
- Basic conflict resolution techniques
- Appropriate training for content and audience
- Techniques for evaluating the quality of the training
7. Ethics and Professional Conduct (5.2%)
The skills-based questions in this domain assess your ability to apply concepts of the BCSP Code of Ethics, while the knowledge questions evaluate the following:
- BCSP Code of Ethics
- Obligation to ensure safety information is understood
- Protecting confidential information
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OHST Exam Registration
To register for the OHST exam, you must first create an online BCSP account. Through your account, you can then select “OHST” as your certification of choice and fill out the application. You will be asked to provide your contact information, proof of your BSCP-qualified credential, and your experience and education information.
Once the OHST application is filled out, you will need to submit it along with the $140 application fee.
Once your application is approved, you will have a full year from the date of approval to register and sit for the exam. During registration, you will need to pay the exam fee of $300. You can schedule your exam at any time with Pearson VUE.
Test Day
You should arrive at the testing center about 30 minutes earlier than the exam appointment time. After you arrive, you will be asked to sign in and present your photo ID to the proctor. You will be photographed and asked to sign a roster and other rule forms.
Personal items are not allowed in the testing room, so they should be left at home or in your car. This includes your phone, wallet, keys, bags, books, notes, and accessories.
Just before the exam starts, you will be given a brief tutorial on the testing system. You will also be given everything you need to work out any calculations by hand (no calculator will be provided).
How the OHST Exam is Scored
BCSP uses the modified-Angoff method and the Bookmark Standard Setting method to establish the scores for the OHST exam. These methods are used to ensure that your score is based entirely on your testing performance and does not rely on how well other test-takers performed.
As long as you achieve the minimum cumulative score for the entire test, you will have passed, even if you did not pass all seven domains individually.
Even though you don’t need to pass each individual domain, your score report will show you how you performed on each one. This is useful for understanding your strengths and weaknesses, especially if you did not pass and need to retake the exam. Currently, the minimum passing score is 66%.
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FAQs
Q
How many questions are on the OHST exam?
A
There are 200 multiple-choice questions on the exam.
Q
How long is the OHST exam?
A
The time limit for the exam is 4 hours.
Q
What is the passing score for the OHST exam?
A
To pass the exam, you must answer at least 66% of the questions correctly.
Q
How much does the OHST exam cost?
A
The application fee is $140 and the examination fee is $300.
