Sheet 52Side by side
STS or STSC: which BCSP supervisor credential fits your job?
The Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) and the Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC) share an exam format and a price list; what separates them is industry. The STSC asks for experience related to construction and tests the STSC7 blueprint, while the STS accepts supervisory experience in any industry and tests the newer STS5 blueprint (BCSP, as of October 2026).
- ExamSTSC
- UpdatedOct 12, 2026
STS and STSC, line by line
| Point | STS | STSC |
|---|---|---|
| Written for | Leaders in any industry | Construction leaders at all levels |
| Training | 30 hours of safety and health training | 30 hours of safety and health training |
| Experience | 2 years supervising or 4 years working, any industry | 2 years supervising related to construction or 4 years working in construction |
| Degree or apprenticeship | Accepted as an alternative pathway | Accepted as an alternative pathway |
| Exam | 100 items, 2 hours | 100 items, 2 hours |
| Application and exam fees | $120 and $185 | $120 and $185 |
| Annual renewal | $70 | $70 |
| Recertification | 3 points per 5 years, at least 0.5 of them ethics | 3 points per 5 years, at least 0.5 of them ethics |
| Blueprint | STS5 (V.2025.07.15), six domains | STSC7 (V.2020.03.27), five domains |
≠ marks the rows where the two differ.
Where the two split
Searching “safety trained supervisor” lands you on the STS, BCSP's credential for supervisors in general industry. Add “Construction” and you have the STSC, a separate certification with its own exam and its own blueprint.
The experience routes are where the industry shows. The STSC's supervisory route reads “related to construction” and its work route reads “in construction”; the STS takes the same years from any industry. The blueprints split the same way: in rewriting the STS as STS5, BCSP removed content it judged too construction-focused (STS5 blueprint, V.2025.07.15).
Who each one fits
The STSC fits superintendents, foremen, project managers and crew leads whose work happens on construction sites. The STS fits supervisors who run crews in plants, warehouses, utilities or anywhere else. Both share one set of training and experience rules apart from the industry wording.
If your job has moved toward full-time safety work, the technician-level credential is the next thing to look at: STSC vs CHST. All six BCSP credentials in one table are on BCSP certifications compared.
One family name, two credentials
Is the STS the same certification as the STSC?
No. They are two BCSP certifications with the same fees ($120 application, $185 exam), the same 100-item, two-hour format, and different experience wording and blueprints (BCSP, as of October 2026).
Can one person hold both?
Yes. BCSP lists earning the STS among the ways to meet the STSC's five-year recertification requirement (BCSP Complete Guide, June 2026).
What safety trained supervisor training does BCSP require?
Thirty hours of formal safety and health training for either credential, from one course or several; conferences and internal company training count (BCSP, as of October 2026).
Sources
Next sheets
Five minutes, a few cards
That is the habit the app is built around — on iPhone and iPad.