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ASP study path

Start here: How to take a Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) exam: pacing, the calculator and reading the question (6 min read)

PassCited's ASP written lessons, grouped by the domains of BCSP's ASP11 Examination Blueprint. Weights are the share of the exam BCSP gives each domain in the official blueprint (PDF). Within a domain, lessons are listed in a suggested order. Start with the heaviest domains, and take the 25-question diagnostic to see which domains need the most time.

This page lists only the blueprint topics PassCited has lessons for. Some blueprint subtopics are not covered yet, so use the blueprint itself as your full checklist.

Domain 1: Mathematical Calculations (10% of the exam)

  1. Safety math: rates, dose, slopes and time-weighted average (TWA) (12 min read)
  2. Unit conversions with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) factors (13 min read)
  3. Statistics and probability (10 min read)
  4. Exposure assessment and storage capacity (11 min read)
  5. Force and motion: F = m × a (11 min read)
  6. Rigging and sling angle calculations (11 min read)
  7. Ventilation calculations (11 min read)
  8. Heat index, wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and wind chill (10 min read)
  9. Fall distance and clearance calculations (8 min read)
  10. Radiation calculations: decay, distance, shielding (9 min read)
  11. System safety analysis: fault trees and FMEA (16 min read)
  12. Excavation and trenching (14 min read)
  13. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation (10 min read)
  14. Occupational noise and hearing conservation (14 min read)
  15. Financial Indicators for Safety: Cost of Risk, Life Cycle Cost, ROI and the Effect of Losses (15 min read)

Domain 2: Safety Programs and Concepts (25% of the exam)

  1. Rigging and sling angle calculations (11 min read)
  2. Safety and health programs, leadership and leading indicators (13 min read)
  3. Risk assessment matrix (MIL-STD-882E) (12 min read)
  4. System safety process (15 min read)
  5. System safety analysis: fault trees and FMEA (16 min read)
  6. Hazard communication and Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (14 min read)
  7. Lockout/tagout Hazardous energy (13 min read)
  8. Electrical Principles for Safety Professionals (9 min read)
  9. Walking-working surfaces and fall protection (13 min read)
  10. Fall protection in construction (16 min read)
  11. Suspension trauma and prompt rescue (13 min read)
  12. Ladders and stairways (12 min read)
  13. Scaffolding requirements (13 min read)
  14. Excavation and trenching (14 min read)
  15. Machine guarding, grinders and portable tools (14 min read)
  16. Powered industrial trucks (17 min read)
  17. Permit-required confined spaces (13 min read)
  18. Compressed gas cylinders (12 min read)
  19. Personal protective equipment (14 min read)
  20. Process safety management (15 min read)
  21. Fleet safety: driver hours, drug and alcohol rules (13 min read)
  22. Facilitating Incident Investigations: Root Causes, Data Collection and Chain of Custody (9 min read)
  23. Management of change (MOC) (12 min read)
  24. Emerging Technologies in Safety: Robotics, Drones, Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining (7 min read)

Domain 3: Ergonomics (8% of the exam)

  1. Ergonomics and MSD prevention (OSHA guidelines) (26 min read)
  2. Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and Ergonomic Workspace Design (7 min read)
  3. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation (10 min read)
  4. Hand-Arm vibration (NIOSH criteria) (22 min read)

Domain 4: Fire Prevention and Protection (12% of the exam)

  1. Fire Science Fundamentals (10 min read)
  2. Flammable liquids: categories, storage and separation (13 min read)
  3. Electrical safety-related work practices (32 min read)
  4. Hot work and welding (15 min read)
  5. Combustible Dust Hazards (12 min read)
  6. Fire detection and sprinkler systems (12 min read)
  7. Construction fire protection and prevention (14 min read)
  8. Portable fire extinguishers (13 min read)
  9. Fire Prevention Signs, Tags and Labels (10 min read)

Domain 5: Emergency Preparedness and Response (10% of the exam)

  1. Emergency action and fire prevention plans (11 min read)
  2. Sources of Emergencies and Disasters: Natural, Human-Caused and Biological (6 min read)
  3. Incident command and NIMS (13 min read)
  4. Exit routes and floor loading (13 min read)
  5. Employee alarm systems (12 min read)
  6. Medical services and first aid (13 min read)
  7. Emergency drills and exercises (HSEEP) (16 min read)
  8. Workplace violence prevention (14 min read)
  9. Lone and Isolated Workers: Hazards, Check-In Systems and Emergency Response (6 min read)

Domain 6: Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health (12% of the exam)

  1. General Chemistry for Safety Professionals (13 min read)
  2. Anatomy, Physiology and Routes of Entry (12 min read)
  3. Chemical Hazards and Acute Versus Chronic Exposure (13 min read)
  4. Occupational Exposure Limits - TWA, STEL, Ceiling and IDLH (13 min read)
  5. Radiation calculations: decay, distance, shielding (9 min read)
  6. Hand-Arm vibration (NIOSH criteria) (22 min read)
  7. Respiratory protection OSHA 1910.134 (23 min read)
  8. Occupational noise and hearing conservation (14 min read)
  9. Heat stress: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) criteria (16 min read)
  10. Bloodborne pathogens (16 min read)
  11. Fitness for Duty, Return to Work and Total Worker Health (13 min read)

Domain 7: Environmental Management (7% of the exam)

  1. Environmental Hazards: Biological, Chemical, Waste and Radon (9 min read)
  2. Oil spill prevention (SPCC) (11 min read)
  3. Air Quality and Carbon Footprint (10 min read)
  4. Universal waste handling (14 min read)
  5. Sustainability principles and practices (5 min read)
  6. Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001 and the EPA Model) (8 min read)
  7. Hazardous waste generators (RCRA) (18 min read)
  8. Hazardous waste operations (HAZWOPER) (12 min read)
  9. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and the Safety Professional's Role (6 min read)

Domain 8: Training, Education, and Communication (11% of the exam)

  1. Safety and health programs, leadership and leading indicators (13 min read)
  2. Designing and delivering safety training (18 min read)
  3. Fall protection and scaffold training (13 min read)
  4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training requirements (11 min read)
  5. Human Factors: Error Types, Performance-Shaping Factors and Design for People (6 min read)
  6. Competent vs. qualified person (14 min read)

Domain 9: Legal (5% of the exam)

  1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections and citations (12 min read)
  2. Contractor Management and Multi-Employer Worksite Liability (10 min read)
  3. Contract Terminology and the Contract Management Lifecycle (9 min read)
  4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordkeeping and reporting (14 min read)
  5. Recordkeeping summaries and employee involvement (13 min read)
  6. Access to employee exposure and medical records (16 min read)
  7. The BCSP Code of Ethics and professional conduct (5 min read)
  8. Financial risk strategies: avoid, retain, share, transfer, prevent and reduce (8 min read)
  9. Worker Impairment and Liability (Drugs, Alcohol, Fatigue, Stress) (11 min read)

Math practice

Workbooks of worked ASP calculation problems. Work each one before reading the solution.

  1. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: injury and illness rates (6 min read)
  2. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: noise (6 min read)
  3. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: air contaminants and ventilation (6 min read)
  4. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: ergonomics, heat and cold (8 min read)
  5. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: construction, rigging and falls (7 min read)
  6. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: radiation (5 min read)
  7. Associate Safety Professional (ASP) math workbook: statistics, probability and physics (5 min read)