Sheet 53Side by side
STSC or CHST: supervisor credential or safety technician credential?
The STSC is for people who run construction work with safety as part of the job; the Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) is for people whose job is largely construction safety. By BCSP's rules the CHST asks for three years of construction safety work with safety at 35% or more of your duties and a 200-item, four-hour exam, while the STSC asks for 30 training hours, a supervisory or construction work route and a 100-item, two-hour exam (as of October 2026).
- ExamSTSC
- UpdatedOct 12, 2026
The two credentials side by side
| Point | STSC | CHST |
|---|---|---|
| Written for | Construction leaders; safety need not be the main duty | Construction safety specialists covering one or more sites |
| Training | 30 hours of safety and health training | None required |
| Experience | 2 years construction supervision, 4 years construction work, a degree or an apprenticeship | 3 years of construction safety, at least 35% of duties |
| Exam | 100 items, 2 hours | 200 items, 4 hours |
| Application fee | $120 | $140 |
| Exam fee | $185 | $300 |
| Annual renewal | $70 | $145 |
| Recertification | 3 points per 5 years, at least 0.5 of them ethics | 20 points per 5 years, at least 0.5 of them ethics |
| Blueprint | STSC7 (2020), five domains | CHST5 (2022), four domains |
Who each one fits
- STSC
- Superintendents, foremen and crew leads who run the work and answer for the crew's safety. Outside construction, the matching credential is the STS: STS vs STSC.
- CHST
- Site safety coordinators and construction safety specialists, where at least 35% of the job is safety, health and environmental work (BCSP, as of October 2026).
- Moving between them
- A supervisor who shifts into a full-time safety role meets the CHST's experience test only once three years of that safety work are behind them.
The CHST for a supervisor weighing it
Do I need the STSC before the CHST?
No. BCSP's CHST eligibility is three years of construction safety experience with safety at 35% or more of duties, and it lists no other credential as a prerequisite (BCSP, as of October 2026).
What does the CHST cost compared with the STSC?
CHST: $140 application, $300 exam, $145 a year to renew. STSC: $120, $185 and $70 (BCSP At-A-Glance V.2026.04.01, as of October 2026). Other BCSP credentials are in the six-credential table.
Which domains does the CHST blueprint cover?
CHST5 (V.2022.04.12) has four: program management 22.5%, hazard and risk 36.6%, emergency, investigation and response 19.9%, and leadership, communication and training 21%. Those weights belong to the CHST; the STSC's own five are on the STSC7 blueprint.
Sources
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