CHST eligibility requirements and how to apply

Who qualifies for the BCSP® CHST, in BCSP's own words. What the three-year, 35% experience rule means in practice, what you'll need if you're audited, current fees, and which BCSP credential fits if you don't qualify yet.

By the PassCited editorial team. Last reviewed October 22, 2026. Facts checked against the sources listed below; how we check.

Short answer

To sit for the CHST you need three years of construction safety experience in which at least 35% of your job duties require(d) technical safety, health and environment (SH&E) skills and knowledge; BCSP sets no degree or training requirement. You apply through BCSP's My Profile portal ($140 application fee) and, once approved, have one year to pass the exam.

Sources: BCSP, Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) and BCSP, Credentials At-A-Glance, V.2026.04.01 (fees, experience rules, extension)

In short

Experience: three years in construction safety, where at least 35% of your job duties require(d) technical SH&E skills and knowledge.
Education: none. BCSP® lists no degree, course or training requirement for the CHST.
Exam: you must pass the CHST exam within one year of BCSP approving your application.
Disclosure: you must report criminal convictions and any professional license or credential that was suspended, revoked or put on probation.
Cost to apply: $140 for the application, or $426 with one exam attempt (BCSP Credentials At-A-Glance, V.2026.04.01).

That's the whole list. The rest of this page explains how BCSP words each rule, how to check your own work history against it, and what to do if you're not there yet. If you'd rather answer four quick questions, the ASP, CSP and CHST eligibility checker quotes the same BCSP rules and shows which exams you look eligible for.

The requirements, word for word

BCSP's CHST page lists three requirements:

Three (3) years of experience in construction safety where at least 35% of the job duties require(d) technical skills and knowledge in safety, health, and environment (SH&E)
Passing the CHST examination
Maintenance of certification: pay the annual renewal fee and meet recertification requirements

BCSP's 2018 Complete Guide to the CHST words the experience rule slightly differently: "at least 35% of primary job duties involving safety, health and environmental practice related to the construction industry." Both versions point at the same thing. It's the share of your actual duties that counts, and those duties have to be in construction.

Who BCSP has in mind

BCSP's CHST page describes the candidate this way:

SH&E responsibilities "may be all or part of" the job. You don't need a full-time safety title.
The work may cover one or more construction projects or jobsites.
You may work for an owner, a general contractor, a subcontractor, or a firm involved in SH&E practice or construction.
BCSP notes that many employers give construction SH&E duties to people "with critical roles in leading workers."

BCSP's 2022 Complete Guide to Safety Certification adds that most CHST holders work in building construction or general contracting, and some work in heavy and civil engineering.

So a foreman, superintendent, project engineer or site safety coordinator can qualify. The title isn't what BCSP checks. The share of your duties that need real SH&E technical knowledge is.

How to check the 35% rule against your own job

BCSP states the rule as a share of job duties. It doesn't publish a list of qualifying tasks or an hours formula for the CHST. A practical way to test yourself:

List what you actually do in a typical week, one job at a time. Be specific: running pre-task hazard analyses, inspecting fall protection or scaffolds, checking excavations, giving toolbox talks, investigating incidents, keeping training records.
Mark which tasks need SH&E technical knowledge. Inspecting a trench for cave-in hazards does. Signing a daily log someone else filled out doesn't.
Estimate the share of your time those tasks take.

As a rough sanity check, 35% of a 40-hour week is 14 hours, and 35% of a 50-hour week is 17.5 hours. That arithmetic is only a way to picture the threshold. BCSP reviews your duties, not a timesheet.

Your situation	How it lines up with BCSP's wording
Full-time site safety coordinator or construction safety specialist	Safety is most of the job, so the 35% share is usually clear. You still need three years of it.
Foreman or superintendent who runs daily hazard analyses, inspections and safety training	Can count if those SH&E duties are at least 35% of the job. Describe them in detail.
Craft worker whose safety role is attending toolbox talks and following rules	Unlikely to meet the CHST rule. The STSC (below) is built for this.
Safety professional outside construction (manufacturing, healthcare)	The CHST requires construction safety experience. The OHST or ASP may fit better.

These are illustrations of BCSP's wording, not BCSP rulings. BCSP makes the final decision when it reviews your application.

What BCSP doesn't spell out for the CHST

BCSP's published CHST materials don't say whether the three years must be consecutive, how part-time work is counted, or how internships are treated. BCSP's 2022 Complete Guide does define full time (35 hours a week) and part-time minimums (900 hours a year) for the ASP and CSP, but it doesn't apply those definitions to the CHST. If your history depends on one of these points, ask BCSP Certification Services before you pay. Their contact details are on bcsp.org.

What you'll need if you're audited

BCSP's Complete Guide to the CHST says BCSP randomly picks 5% of applications for audit. If yours is chosen, you prove your experience with one of these:

A letter on company letterhead from your employer confirming your employment dates, job title and the percentage of your job duties that are or were SH&E
BCSP's Experience Validation Form, completed by your employer (only if your application is selected)

The letter asks for that percentage directly. Before you apply, make sure each employer you list would agree that at least 35% of your duties were SH&E. If a past employer has closed or changed hands, get that letter lined up now. An audit is random and doesn't mean anything is wrong.

BCSP also says not to send resumes, papers, continuing education certificates or anything else it didn't ask for.

What you must disclose

BCSP's CHST page says you must disclose criminal convictions and any professional license or credential that was suspended, revoked or placed on probation. BCSP's Complete Guide to the CHST lists what that covers:

All felony convictions
Misdemeanor convictions within the past five years (minor traffic violations and petty offenses don't need to be reported)
Any record of unethical behavior
A professional license or certification denied, suspended or revoked for reasons other than not meeting qualifications, failing an exam or not paying renewal fees

BCSP reviews this confidentially and separately from your other eligibility, but it can deny an application based on it. The full rules are in BCSP's Criminal Conviction and Actions Against Professional License and Credentials Policy (linked in the sources below).

How to apply

The CHST application runs through the same My Profile portal as every BCSP credential:

Create an account in My Profile (top-right corner of any bcsp.org page). Use your name exactly as it appears on your government ID, since BCSP's exam-day rules require the two to match.
Choose the Applications menu button and select the CHST.
Enter your contact and experience details for each construction job you're counting, and complete the application agreement and disclosures.
Pay. BCSP reviews an application only once it's submitted and paid.

Our step-by-step guide to how to apply for the ASP walks through the same My Profile screens in more detail. Two differences for the CHST: BCSP's Complete Guide to the CHST lists a complete application as contact information, experience information, the application agreement and payment, with no education section, and the fees are lower.

CHST fees

These are BCSP's current CHST prices from the Credentials At-A-Glance sheet (V.2026.04.01). BCSP notes that fees can change without advance notice, so check the sheet before you pay.

Option	Price	What you get
Application only	$140	Review of your application; buy the exam later
Application and exam combo	$426	Application plus one exam attempt ($14 less than $140 + $300 bought separately)
Application and exam bundle combo	$676	Application plus two exam attempts and one self-assessment
Exam only, after approval	$300	One attempt
Exam bundle, after approval	$550	Two attempts plus one self-assessment ($50 less than two single exams)
Eligibility extension	$100	One-time, one extra year, bought in the last 60 days of eligibility
Annual renewal, once certified	$150	Keeps the credential active

The Complete Guide to the CHST says the application fee is nonrefundable and nontransferable. If you aren't sure you'll be approved, buying the application alone keeps the exam money in your pocket until you are. Active or retired military may be able to get the exam fee reimbursed through the VA, according to the same guide.

After you're approved

One-year clock. BCSP's CHST page says you have one year from approval to take and pass the exam.
Extension. If you're within 60 days of that deadline, a one-time $100 extension adds a year. Without it, you reapply as a new candidate under the rules in force then.
Retakes. Any attempt has to be at least six weeks after your last one.
Accommodations. BCSP's guide says to request test accommodations at accommodations@bcsp.org when you buy your exam.
Scheduling. You buy the exam under "Purchase Exam" in My Profile and book a Pearson test center through the single sign-on link there.

Once you have a date, how to pass the CHST exam covers the four CHST5 domains and how to split your study time, and the CHST formula sheet with worked examples covers the math.

If you don't qualify yet

BCSP has other credentials with different entry rules. Listed alphabetically:

Credential	Who it's for, per BCSP	Entry requirement (BCSP wording, shortened)
ASP	A broad scope of SH&E practice; one of the credentials that qualify you for the CSP	Bachelor's in any field (or a qualifying SH&E associate) and one year of SH&E experience, at least 50% preventative, professional-level work
OHST	Practitioners with partial SH&E responsibility, in occupational hygiene or safety	Three years where at least 35% of job duties require(d) technical skills and knowledge in occupational hygiene or safety
STSC	Construction workers and leaders whose safety duties are collateral to their main job	30 hours of SH&E training, plus two years of supervisory experience related to construction, or four years of construction work (at least 18 hours a week), or a qualifying associate degree, or a two-year trade or union apprenticeship

BCSP's STSC page says STSC candidates "often have safety responsibilities that are adjunct, collateral, or ancillary to their job duties." If that describes you today, the STSC is open now, and the CHST can follow once your SH&E duties grow. ASP vs CSP vs CHST compares the three main exams side by side.

FAQ

Do I need a degree for the CHST?

No. BCSP lists no education or training requirement for the CHST. You need three years of construction safety experience with at least 35% SH&E technical duties, and you must pass the exam.

Does my job title have to say "safety"?

No. BCSP's CHST page says SH&E responsibilities "may be all or part of" a CHST's job duties, and notes that many employers give these duties to people who lead workers. What matters is that at least 35% of your duties require SH&E technical skills and knowledge.

Can I count construction experience from more than one employer?

BCSP's application asks for experience information per job, and nothing in its CHST materials limits you to one employer. List each job separately. If you're audited, each employer may need to confirm your dates, title and SH&E percentage.

How long does BCSP take to approve a CHST application?

BCSP doesn't publish a standard review time. Certification Services contacts you with any questions or when the review is complete.

Is the CHST the same as the STSC?

No. Both are construction credentials from BCSP, but the STSC is aimed at people whose safety duties are collateral to their main job and has a 2-hour exam. The CHST needs three years with at least 35% SH&E technical duties and has a 4-hour exam (Credentials At-A-Glance, V.2026.04.01).

What does it cost to keep the CHST?

The annual renewal fee is $150, and you need 20 recertification points every five years, including 0.5 points from ethics courses (Credentials At-A-Glance, V.2026.04.01).