OHCC study guide
OHCC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The OHCC is a professional certification for practitioners who manage occupational health and safety programs and want independent verification of their competence. It suits safety coordinators, occupational health nurses and hygienists, program managers, and others whose work spans hazard control, regulatory compliance, and worker health surveillance. The OHCC study guide has 8 sections and about 2,034 words.
01Occupational Health and Safety Program Management
A functioning OHS program is a management system, not a binder. Understand the plan-do-check-act cycle as it appears in consensus frameworks: a written policy signed by top management, defined roles and accountability, hazard identification and risk assessment processes, operational controls, performance monitoring, and management review.
262 words, about 1 min02Regulatory Compliance and Legislation
Regulatory questions test your grasp of the legal architecture rather than memorized section numbers. Understand the hierarchy: statutes (acts) set duties, regulations prescribe detailed requirements, and standards or codes of practice provide accepted ways of complying.
275 words, about 1 min03Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control
This domain rewards systematic thinking. Know the difference between a hazard (potential source of harm) and a risk (combination of likelihood and severity).
258 words, about 1 min04Occupational Hygiene and Exposure Assessment
Occupational hygiene follows a recognition-evaluation-control sequence. Candidates must understand exposure routes (inhalation, dermal, ingestion, injection), the difference between occupational exposure limits expressed as time-weighted averages over eight hours versus short-term or ceiling limits, and why ceiling limits must never be exceeded.
257 words, about 1 min05Health Surveillance and Occupational Medicine
Health surveillance is a secondary prevention tool that detects early signs of work-related ill health when exposure cannot be adequately controlled. Understand the difference between surveillance (ongoing, exposure-linked monitoring such as audiometry for noise or spirometry for respiratory hazards) and pre-employment or fitness-for-work assessment .
236 words, about 1 min06Emergency Preparedness and Incident Investigation
Emergency preparedness requires a documented, exercised plan covering identification of credible scenarios, alarm and communication systems, evacuation and shelter-in-place, roles, assembly and accounting for people, and interface with external responders. Know the difference between a drill (tested response) and an exercise (broader simulation), and that plans must be reviewed after drills, incidents, and changes.
259 words, about 1 min07Training, Communication, and Competency
Effective training changes behavior, not just awareness. Understand the distinction between training (transferring knowledge and skill), instruction (task-specific direction), and competency (demonstrated ability to perform to a standard).
230 words, about 1 min08Ethics, Professionalism, and Program Evaluation
Professional practice rests on integrity, competence, confidentiality, and objectivity. Understand the duty to protect worker health even under commercial pressure, the obligation to report accurately and not suppress unfavorable findings, and the requirement to work within one's competence and seek expert advice when needed.
257 words, about 1 min