Established in 1978, the CHSP serves as the premiere and definitive healthcare safety credential. The CHSP led the way in the development of healthcare safety as a profession for more than 40 years. CHSP credential holders come from various healthcare backgrounds including safety, security, occupational health, nursing, administration, risk management, quality improvement, facility management, hazardous material management, emergency management, fire safety, biomedical services, patient safety, infection control, and environmental services. CHSP holders continue to make a difference in helping their organizations maintain proactive and visible safety efforts that protect patients, visitors, families, staff, vendors, and practitioners. If you have healthcare safety responsibilities, you should put this professional credential designation behind your name. Holding the CHSP credential indicates your dedication to professional practice and identifies you as true professional in the scope of healthcare safety.
CHSP Exam blueprint
IBFCSM exams 100-150 multiple choice items. Exam results permit the assessment to determine a candidate’s minimum competency for certification. The blueprint reflects specifications published in the JTA Technical Report. Percentages reflect proportion of test items in each domain. Candidates use recall, recognition, comprehension, and application to answer items related to professional practice.
| Domains | 100-150 items |
|---|---|
| 1. Management & Leadership | 36% |
| 2. Hazard Control Practice | 28% |
| 3. Compliance, Accreditation, & Voluntary Standards | 36% |
Domain 1—Management & Leadership (36%)
Domain 1 Topics
- Identify concepts of effective organizational communication
- Identify action that would help improve safe job or task performance
- Identify elements of safety management processes
- Identify key characteristics of well-written safety plans
- Identify obstacles to achieving patient safety
- Identify hindrances to healthcare communication
- Given a scenario, identify relationships among hospital functions
- Given a scenario, identify behaviors that impact patient safety
- Given a scenario, identify mechanisms that help identify causal factors
- Identify management actions contributing most to accident prevention
- Identify actions contributing to hospital safety success
- Given a scenario, identify supervisory actions that support safety
- Given a scenario, identify need for safety improvement analysis
- Given a scenario, identify actions to improve safety performance
- Identify causes and interventions related to staff risks and hazards
- Identify concepts related to designing safety education and training courses
- Given a scenario, identify safety approach needed to reduce accidents
- Identify elements of proactive safety management
- Given a scenario, identify safety concepts of high reliability organizations
- Given a scenario identify hospital safety priorities
- Given a scenario, identify appropriate safety response
- Given a scenario, identify accident causal factors
- Given a scenario, identify proper use of safety checklists
- Identify correct information regarding the use of system safety methods
- Given a scenario, identify the concept related to safety management decisions
Domain 2—Hazard Control Practice (28%)
Domain 2 Topics
1.1 Identify machine, equipment, job task safety controls
2.2 Given a scenario, identify hazard, risks, or control measures
2.3 Identify human exposure risks to hazardous exposures
2.4 Given a scenario, identify controls for the identified hazards
2.5 Identify weather or other disaster risks, warnings, or responses
2.6 Identify controls or protocols for assessing risks and controlling hazards
2.7 Identify the correct fire or life safety requirement for healthcare occupancies
2.8 Given a scenario identify the best prevention action for a facility hazard
2.9 Identify the correct hazard control intervention that would protect people
2.10 Identify actions required for hazardous materials handling, spills, or storage
2.11 Given a scenario, assess infection risks to patients and healthcare workers
2.12 Given a scenario, identify hazard control solutions for the identified risk
2.13 Given a scenario, identify the best safety practice for exposure to radiation
2.14 Given a scenario, identify PPE scheme needed protect workers
2.15 Identify factors that contribute to accident or injury prevention
2.16 Identify human exposures to medical equipment and devices
2.17 Given a scenario, identify hazards and safety risks that could affect human health
2,18 Given a scenario, identify infection risks or controls needed
2.19 Given a scenario, identify hospital department risks, hazards, or controls
2.20 Given a scenario, identify the correct respirator needed to ensure safety
2.21 Given a scenario, identify the correct fire extinguisher or suppression system
2.22 Identify the key components of hazardous drug safety, use, or disposal
2,23 Given a scenario, identify the greatest ergonomic hazard
2.24 Given a scenario, identify patient safety risks
2.25 Given a scenario, identify occupational hazard risks
Domain 3 - Compliance & Standards (36%)
Domain 3 Topics
3.1 Identify correct compliance and voluntary standard chemical exposure levels
3.2 Identify the greatest injury risk to healthcare workers
3.3 Identify OSHA defined healthcare hazards
3.4 Identify organizations that developed patient safety interventions
3.5 Identify organizations that develop or require hazardous material labels
3.6 Identify building egress requirements published by various organizations
3.7 Identify the mission of governments agencies that do not hold enforcement authority
3.8 Identify the government authority of departments and agencies
3.9 Identify key OSHA requirements, standards, and guidelines
3.10 Identify key compliance requirements for major OSHA standards
3.11 Given a scenario identify statistics published by government agencies
3.12 Identify key publications, standards, and guidelines published by voluntary organizations
3.13 Identify key government and accreditation requirements for emergency management
3.14 Given a scenario identify the government or consensus standards that addressed hazards
3.15 Given a scenario identify the NFPA publication, standard, or code that applies
3.16 Identify non-regulatory government agencies that provide safety resources to hospitals
3.17 Identify accreditation standards (JC, DNV, HFAP, CMS)
3.18 Identify appliable Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 10, 21, 29, 40, 42, 44, 49)
3.19 Identify Federal Agency Responsibilities (CDC, DHS, DHHS, EPA, FDA, DHHS, NIOSH, NRC, etc.)
3.20 Identify Voluntary Organizations Responsibilities (ANSI, ASTM, ASHRAE, ASME, CGA, FGI, NFPA, etc.)
Sample CHSP Questions
- What best describes the benefit of implementing a patient lifting program?
a. Improved patient quality of care*
b. Reduced worker compensation costs
c. Greater patient satisfaction
d. Increased worker morale
- Which NFPA publication exclusively addresses healthcare facility topics?
a. NFPA 13
b. NFPA 72
c. NFPA 99*
d. NFPA 101
- What control would be first when protecting workers from airborne contaminants?
a. Isolating the hazard far from most workers.
b. Providing proper local and general ventilation*
c. Requiring use of supplied air respirators immediately
d. Conducting periodic monitoring in all exposure areas
- What control would be least effective in preventing potential food-borne illnesses?
a. Requiring food preparation workers to wash hands frequently
b. Maintaining hot foods on the serving line at 140°F or higher
c. Providing a supply of cloth towels to wipe food prep surfaces frequently*
d. Maintaining coolers and refrigerators at 40°F or lower.
Study Resources
- Healthcare Hazard Control and Safety Management, 3rd Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2014, , ISBN: 978-1-4822-0655-5.
- CHSP Self Directed Study Guide, TLCS, Available in downloadable PDF and Print Format. Buy it here!
- Introduction to Hazard Control Management, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2014, IBSN: 978-1-4665-5158-9
- OSHA Hospital and Healthcare References, Online at: www.osha.gov
- Controlling Health Hazards to Hospital Workers: A Reference Guide for New Solutions
- Hospital & Nursing Home E-Tools: Hazard and Solutions by Location, Function/Department
- OSAH Tool Kit for Hospital Staff on Safe Patient Handling
- OSHA Education & Training for Worker Safety in Hospitals
- OSHA Safety/Health Management Systems: A Road Map for Hospitals, (PDF) 2013
- To Do No Harm, Jossey-Bass/Wiley & Sons, San Francisco, CA, 2005, J.M. Morath & J.E. Turnbull, ISBN: 0-7879-6770-X
- NFPA 99-2012, Health Care Facilities Code Handbook, NFPA, Quincy, MA, 2011, MA, R.E. Bielen & J.K. Lathrop, ISBN: 978-161665141-1
- NFPA 101-2012, Life Safety Code Handbook, NFPA, Quincy, MA 2011, ISBN: 978-006461807