CHST study guide: a six-week plan by domain

Start with the blueprint and the clock

BCSP's blueprint has four domains: hazard and risk identification and control 36.6%, safety program development, implementation and sustainment 22.5%, leadership, communication and training 21%, and emergency preparedness, incident investigation and response 19.9%. BCSP's credentials sheet gives you 4 hours at a Pearson test center. Before you plan anything, check you qualify: the eligibility guide covers the three years of construction safety experience BCSP asks for.

Domain 1 holds 31 knowledge items, from hot work and excavations to silica, noise and concrete work. That is why more than a third of your time belongs there.

A six-week CHST plan

Plan four sessions a week: two for topic study, one for questions and one for mixed review. Stretch the plan if work gets in the way.

Week 1: baseline and falls

Take the free 10-question check and write down your score in each domain. Then study working at heights: fall protection (Subpart M) and ladders (Subpart X). Learn the hierarchy of controls here, because every later hazard uses it.

Week 2: structures, earth and power

Study scaffolds (Subpart L), excavations (Subpart P) and electrical (Subpart K). For each, write the competent person's duties in your own words and the one number you would never get wrong.

Week 3: lifting, spaces and exposures

Cover cranes and derricks (Subpart CC), confined spaces (Subpart AA) and the health hazards guide for silica, lead and noise. Add the tool, material handling and housekeeping items from the blueprint's hazard list.

Week 4: the safety program

This is Domain 3. Study site-specific safety plans, inspections and audits, job hazard analysis, risk management and incident causation. Work through OSHA recordkeeping and practice the incidence rate arithmetic until it is automatic. Add the leading and lagging indicators your own site uses.

Week 5: people and emergencies

Domain 4 asks how you lead, train and communicate. Domain 2 asks how you plan for and respond to emergencies, and how you investigate afterward. Study emergency action plans, incident command, first aid, universal precautions and root cause methods. Practice the question type both domains share: what is the first action, or the best control?

Week 6: timed mixed review

Sit full-length practice at the real exam's 4 hours. Mix all four domains and review every miss by cause: unfamiliar rule, misread stem, two true options, or fatigue. Retake the free check and compare it with week 1.

Study OSHA by section number

Cite 29 CFR 1926 by section when you study, and read the current text in your own copy. Our guides give section numbers and plain-language summaries, never the standard's text. Keep a short log: the duty, the section, and what the competent person must do about it.

Use the four hours well

Four hours is long, and drifting is a bigger risk than rushing. Answer what you know, mark what you do not, and use the saved time on a second pass. Leave no question blank. The cost and scheduling guide covers booking once your practice scores are where you want them.

Start week 1 today

Take the free 10-question check and see your score by domain in minutes, with no signup. Every answer is explained. The Toe Board course builds a week-by-week plan from your exam date and adds a lesson for each domain and a full-length timed practice exam.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by BCSP.

Sources

Show the list

• CHST Examination Blueprint (CHST5, V.2022.04.12), Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
• BCSP credentials at a glance, Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
• Construction Health and Safety Technician, Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
• 29 CFR Part 1926, OSHA.