EHS Certification

In addition to OSHA training and OSHA certification, individuals can get an Environmental Health & Safety Professional Certificate course online. An EHS certification makes it clear what your responsibilities are regarding workplace safety. It is generally provided through a state entity such as the California Department of Public Health. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) provides a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification that can also be invaluable when trying to make sure you’re appropriately protecting employees.

With EHS and OSHA training online, individuals are able to learn more about expectations and practical implementation of EHS and OSHA standards and requirements. EHS and OSHA standards have both been designed to improve upon the general safety, well-being, and environmental risk of an organization and a site. Through a certification course, employees can find out what they need to know and do to meet all their responsibilities. Moving forward, they can continue their training on a regular basis to keep up-to-date on new regulations and matters of compliance.

All employees who face hazards in the workplace should go through basic OSHA training, but an EHS certification can be an excellent step for those who are expected to manage the organization’s health and safety overall. This includes being responsible for EHS deadlines, documents, reporting, and incident mitigation.

OSHA Certifications Online

Can you take OSHA certifications online? Absolutely. Professionals often take safety courses, such as the OSHA certification forklift package, to ensure that they are operating safely at work. OSHA and ASP certification (Associate Safety Professional) ensure that employees know what they need to know about keeping themselves and their co-workers safe. Commonly, employees might take the OSHA 30-hour construction or general industry courses online. These courses are self-driven and can be taken at any pace, with six months allowed to complete the training.

Of course, there are many other safety certifications online, in addition to safety training courses, EHS certifications, and BCSP certifications. Organizations may want to find certifications for safety and environmental health in their own industries. But general OSHA and EHS certifications are an excellent starting point for companies that want to ensure that their employees are going to be as safe and vigilant as possible.

Employees should be exposed to training courses both when they are initially hired and at intervals, so their knowledge can be refreshed. EHS platforms can track when employees have taken training and when they might need to refresh their knowledge.

OSHA Certification List

There are many types of OSHA certification, which can be found through the OSHA certification training and reference materials library. In addition to a general, free OSHA certification, there are also professional safety certifications. These certifications can be acquired online, making them perfect for busy professionals who nevertheless want to improve their health and safety knowledge. While especially important for safety professionals and those in high-risk industries (such as construction safety certifications), any employee can benefit from getting an OSHA certification online for free. This is especially true for an environmental health specialist trainee.

Some OSHA certifications include:

Outreach training for construction. 10-hour and 30-hour construction and outreach general industry training are available for those within these specific and potentially high-risk industries.
Environmental compliance training. For environmental specialists, compliance training includes day-to-day ops, identifying hazardous wastes (RCRA training), clean air acts, and clean water acts.
Fall protection/arrest systems and supervisor training. Training is available for more specific systems, such as forklift safety, and fall arrest systems.

In addition to this, one of the most common certifications is the HAZWOPER certification, also known as the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard. This is a particularly important training course because it directly relates to materials that could be extremely hazardous not only for employees and the environment but also for the general public. HAZWOPER certification has an 8-hour refresher course, 24-hour course, and a 40-hour course, depending on the level of expertise needed.

These courses help employees follow regulations when they’re dealing with hazardous substances, which can be common in the construction industry, oil field industry, and many others. Not only should a specialist be aware of this, but employees who are actually working directly with these hazardous substances, and often transporting them or getting rid of them, will also need to know what their standards should be.

There are many other certifications for both broad and specific topics. Some of them are fairly small and niche certifications, while others may take many hours to learn and master. Either way, OSHA certifications are an excellent way for a company to improve upon safety.

These OSHA certifications can be acquired online and on a person’s own time, so they can spend up to six months going through the materials. Not only are the materials valuable, but they’re also convenient, and taking these certification tests can lead to better risk management and a company culture of health and safety.

Online Safety Training for Employees

One of the most convenient ways to train employees in a list of safety certifications is online. The OSHA certification cost doesn’t change depending on if the classes are taken online or offline. Even those who aren’t currently working may be interested in a CSP certification, as a CSP certification salary is higher than average. Employees who go through online safety training can get their OSHA certification card. There are many types of certifications that could be helpful to an EHS professional: NEBOSH, IOSH, OSHA, IRCA, IEMA/EMS, and many more. The more certifications a professional has, the more they can be regarded as an expert in their field.

An employee can get an OSHA safety certification online free, or for a small fee depending on the type of certification they want. You can get safety certifications without a degree, the only requirements are to understand the safety regulations and compliance rules thoroughly. After an OSHA or REHS exam, employees will be better equipped to reduce potential health and environmental risks around their projects and work sites. Employees should take refresher courses periodically and as required by regulation, as well as the lengthier courses when they onboard.

There’s more training available than just OSHA training. Online, employees can be trained in safety methods and protocols for virtually any type of business operation. The more safety training completed for an organization, the less likely it is for employees to get injured, or for environmental issues — such as spills and contaminations — to occur. Consequently, more training for employees is a boon for the business and its operations, too.

In particular, online safety training for employees is convenient because employees can complete their training either at work or at home, and can continue their training at their own pace. Often, it isn’t important that employees rush through a certification process or an online training course, but rather than they are able to absorb all of the information there. The more employees are trained, the better the organization will function as a whole.

Environmental Health Certification

There are many types of environmental health certification, which show core competencies in areas of environmental health, safety, and management. Personnel who have the right credentials are more likely to be able to manage an organization’s environmental health needs, mitigate incidents as they occur, and work proactively to keep the organization safe. There are different types of OSHA certification and environmental health certification, ranging from free environmental health and safety certification online, to more extensive courses. EHS software can help track OSHA certification expiration and other deadlines so professionals are always kept up-to-date on their training.

Among certifications, there’s the ASP certification (Associate Safety Professional). The ASP certification cost is $160 for the application and a test fee of $350 (subject to change), with requirements being that the individual should have a Bachelor’s degree in any field or an Associate degree in safety, health, or the environment; and at least one year of safety experience where safety is at least 50% of preventative, professional level duties. This is designed to ensure that an entry-level individual has the competency needed to perform functions that are at least 50 percent preventative safety duties.

There’s also the Certified Safety Professional certification. This certification is also $350 for the exam. The CSP certification requires a Bachelor’s degree in any field and at least four years of safety experience. Usually an individual will take the ASP first and then the CSP later. The ASP (or similar BCSP credential) is required to take the CSP. This shouldn’t be confused with the CSP certification for Scrum Masters (Certified Scrum Professional).

Having an OSHA certification on a resume makes it clear that a professional has taken the time to develop their skills. It provides a baseline of experience. For companies that already have EHS professionals on-board, sending them to acquire OSHA certification or other safety certifications is an excellent way to keep them up-to-date on their knowledge. Having certified professionals doesn’t just improve the general safety of an organization, but can also reduce insurance costs — many insurance companies will provide discounts for having the correctly certified personnel.

As environmental health regulations do change, the need for continued training and education is omni-present. Further, certifications can serve as a part of continuing education and refresher courses, ensuring that employees do not forget what they’ve learned in the past, and that they remain vigilant in terms of safety and environmental health.

Health and Safety Certification Courses

What are some of the top 10 safety certifications an EHS professional should have? Not only does an EHS safety certification improve upon a registered environmental health specialist salary, but it also ensures that they can do their job up to modern standards. There are free online health and safety courses with certificates as well as some more rigorous classes.

Associate Safety Professional (ASP).
Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM).
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA).
Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST).
Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC).
Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician (OHST).
Safety Trained Supervisor (STS).
Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO).

Some of these certifications are meant for far along an individual’s career track, while others are meant at an entry level. For most people, getting an ASP will be the first step toward developing their careers. Others may want to continue along a certification track as they get additional job experience.

Here are some registered environmental health specialist exam questions, if you’re wondering what is EHS certification actually covering:

Hazard analysis can be used to evaluate potential hazards for an organization. But what other information should be considered?
What leadership style has the most positive impact on employees who work on potentially dangerous tasks?
Incidents and injuries are both terms often used interchangeably. But what is the definition of each?
MORT, a system safety method, stands for what?
What are the two main causes of an incident in the workplace?
What are the deadlines to register forms with the California Department of Public Health?

There are many other niche types of OSHA certifications and BCSP certification such as a CSP certification dietitian, so make sure you read the course descriptions in full. You can become an environmental health specialist trainee California without these certifications, but having an OSHA EHS certification is a good idea if you want to expand your career potential. If you want to get an EHS certification California, you can take one of the popular environmental health online courses, or get a California REHS study guide to prepare.

If you’re interested in how Encamp helps EHS managers deliver consistent processes and first-rate compliance programs, learn more at our free webinar.