The Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST) credential is a professional designation accredited by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). The OHST credential provides occupational health and safety professionals with partial responsibility in the health, safety, and environmental (HSE) field with a high quality certification.
An OHST is a person who performs occupational health and safety activities on a full-time or part-time basis as part of their job duties. These activities range from making worksite assessments to determine risks, potential hazards and controls, evaluating risks and hazard control measures, investigating incidents, maintaining and evaluating incident and loss records, and preparing emergency response plans.
Am I Eligible to Become an OHST?
All OHST candidates must meet certain educational and experiential requirements before sitting for the OHST exam. Browse the following requirements to ensure your eligibility for this BCSP-approved credential.
Education Background
Applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements to sit for the OHST exam:
- High school diploma
- GED
Professional Experience
In order to sit for the OHST exam, all candidates must have 3 years of prior professional occupational health or safety experience.
What Are the Next Steps?
Review the areas of eligibility above and ensure that you have met all prerequisites for the OHST exam. If you do not meet all of these requirements you can either continue your studies and experience to work up to the OHST requirements or you can look at one of the other health and safety certifications that the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has to offer.
If you meet the requirements, you are eligible to apply and sit for the OHST certification exam. Many potential OHSTs enroll in training courses to better prepare them for their upcoming OHST exam. If you are interested in preparing for the OHST exam through a training course, browse health and safety courses!
Retaining the OHST Certification
Upon successful completion and passing of the OHST exam, all professionals must remain active to keep their designation. In order to remain eligible and up to date in their certification, OHST professionals must pay an annual renewal fee and earn 20 recertification points every 5 years. These points can be earned by fulfilling activities outlined by BCSP's recertification guide.