Mel Lockridge and Stephen Clark recently received their professional health and safety certifications as Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST). Mel is Envirocon’s Loss Control Supervisor in the Corporate Office; and Stephen Clark is a Health and Safety Supervisor currently working at Envirocon’s Wellsville, NY project. Mel has also previously received the Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification.

Both the OHST and CHST certifications were awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals’ through the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists, or CCHEST. CCHEST, formerly the ABIH/BCSP Joint Committee, was started in 1985 and has operated the Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST) certificate program for over twenty years. In 1992, the Construction Divisions of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the National Safety Council (NSC) sought a similar credential for construction safety positions in construction. This became the Construction Health and Safety Technician’s (CHST) program started in 1994.

1. Construction Health and Safety Technician® (CHST)

CHST certification holders are typically employed as safety and health specialists on construction job sites. CHST holders must have a high school diploma and be qualified as an OSHA authorized instructor or have 40 hours of classroom training in construction safety and health; have three years of experience in a construction position an associate degree or higher in safety and health; or have at least 9 semester hours or 14 quarter hours of college credit in safety and health courses. They must also have at least one and possibly up to three years of work experience in construction and pass the CHST examination. CHST holders must maintenance requirements every five years. The CHST examination contains 200 questions covering the following domains: health and safety program management (29%), worksite auditing (40%), training (27%), and professional responsibility (4%).

2. Occupational Health and Safety Technologist® (OHST)

OHST is a title awarded to safety practitioners who meet and continue to meet all requirements established for the OHST by the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists. Occupational Health and Safety Technologists are persons who perform occupational health and safety activities on a full-time or part-time basis as part of their job duties. Qualifications are less stringent than those of the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®) operated by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals or the Certified Industrial Hygienist® (CIH®) operated by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene® but generally covers the same areas of professional knowledge. An OHST must have five years of experience in occupational health or safety; and must pass the OHST examination. Candidates may substitute college courses in health and safety or an associate degree or higher in certain disciplines for some or all of the experience requirement. Students in associate or higher degree programs in occupational safety and health may sit for the examination during their last semester. The OHST certification holder must meet certification maintenance requirements every five years and pay an annual renewal fee to retain certification. The OHST examination is 200 questions and contains the following domains: worksite assessment (34%), hazard control and loss prevention (31%), verification (17%), disaster planning and emergency response (14%), and professional responsibility (4%).