CRSA / RSA Exam study plan
CRSA / RSA Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Safety Program Management and Administration & Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control
Map every element of a safety management system (policy, objectives, roles, resources, management review) and write a one-page crosswalk showing where each element appears in your own organization or a case scenario
Differentiate leading from lagging performance indicators and construct five leading indicators with defined numerators, denominators, and data owners
Build a risk matrix with defined likelihood and severity scales and apply it consistently to at least ten hazards
Explain the hierarchy of controls and justify why elimination and substitution outrank administrative controls and PPE in three worked examples
Your checkpoint
A 3-4 page safety program and risk assessment workbook containing the management system crosswalk, five leading indicators, the risk matrix, and ten scored hazards with control recommendations
Safety Program Management and Administration & Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control
Conduct a hazard identification exercise using at least three distinct techniques (task-based, checklists, and one of HAZOP, JSA, or what-if) and compare what each technique surfaces
Calculate risk scores before and after proposed controls and verify that residual risk is acceptable against defined criteria
Draft a management-of-change procedure that specifies triggers, review steps, approval authority, and documentation
Assemble the core components of an emergency action plan and align them with the incident response content planned for week 6
Your checkpoint
A completed job safety analysis for one real task plus a written management-of-change procedure and a one-page emergency action plan outline
Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control & Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
Identify the routes of exposure (inhalation, dermal, ingestion, injection) for the principal chemical and physical agents in your setting and match each to an appropriate control
Interpret exposure limits correctly, distinguishing time-weighted averages, short-term limits, and ceiling values, and explain how sampling time affects compliance determinations
Select the right sampling method (direct-reading instrument versus integrated sample) for three agents and state the calibration and quality assurance steps required
Describe the elements of a hearing conservation program including noise monitoring, attenuation, audiometric testing, and training triggers
Your checkpoint
An industrial hygiene sampling plan for three agents specifying agent, method, sampling duration, exposure limit, and decision criteria
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene & Safety Program Management and Administration
Explain the exposure assessment strategy of anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control and apply it to one process in sequence
Determine when respirators are required, select an appropriate class, and outline fit testing, medical evaluation, and cartridge change considerations
Describe the health effects and control strategies for at least four occupational health stressors such as noise, heat, silica, and ergonomic risk
Link occupational health surveillance results back to program objectives and management review inputs
Your checkpoint
A respiratory protection program summary covering selection rationale, fit testing schedule, medical clearance, and training, plus a surveillance-to-management-review linkage diagram
Safety Training and Communication & Safety Program Management and Administration
Conduct a training needs assessment that ties required competencies to specific job roles and tasks
Write three learning objectives using observable action verbs and matched assessment methods
Design a training session that applies adult learning principles, includes practice with feedback, and specifies how comprehension will be verified
Define a method for evaluating training effectiveness beyond a satisfaction survey, such as observed behavior or post-training performance data
Your checkpoint
A training package for one high-risk task containing needs assessment, objectives, lesson outline, assessment items, and an effectiveness evaluation plan
Incident Investigation and Emergency Preparedness & Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Control
Apply an incident investigation method that separates immediate causes from root causes and identifies systemic contributors
Write interview questions that avoid leading the witness and preserve the reliability of statements
Distinguish corrective actions that address root causes from those that only address symptoms and prioritize them by risk reduction
Evaluate an emergency preparedness program against scenario coverage, drill frequency, communication, accountability, and post-drill improvement
Your checkpoint
A complete incident investigation report for a fictional event, including timeline, causal analysis, corrective actions with owners and due dates, and lessons learned
Regulatory Compliance and Standards & Professional Ethics and Best Practices
Build a register of the regulations and consensus standards applicable to your operation and state the specific obligation each imposes
Explain the general duty clause concept and how it applies when no specific standard governs a recognized hazard
Distinguish employee rights and employer duties in inspection, recordkeeping, and reporting contexts
Apply an ethical decision framework to three scenarios involving pressure to underreport, conflicting production and safety priorities, and withholding unfavorable exposure data
Your checkpoint
A compliance register with at least twelve entries mapped to obligations, plus written analyses of three ethics scenarios with a recommended course of action and rationale
Safety Program Management and Administration & Incident Investigation and Emergency Preparedness & Regulatory Compliance and Standards & Professional Ethics and Best Practices
Integrate all domain notes into a single condensed review sheet organized by exam domain weighting
Complete at least 120 practice questions under timed conditions and categorize every miss by domain and by cause of error
Re-teach the three weakest topics aloud or in writing without notes to confirm retention
Finalize a personal exam-day strategy covering time allocation, question triage, and handling of unfamiliar terms
Your checkpoint
A timed practice exam score report with error analysis by domain and a one-page final review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can score ten hazards on a risk matrix and justify each control selection using the hierarchy of controls without notes
Week 4: Can explain exposure limits, sampling strategy, and respiratory protection selection in a coherent five-minute verbal summary
Week 5: Can write measurable learning objectives and match each to an assessment method in under ten minutes
Week 6: Can take an incident narrative and produce a causal chain distinguishing immediate from root causes
Week 7: Can state the applicable regulatory obligation for five common hazards and resolve one ethics scenario with a defensible rationale
Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent on a timed 120-question practice set with no single domain below 70 percent