Registered Industrial Hygiene Professional vs Other Programs
Interested in becoming certified as an industrial hygienist, but not sure where to begin? First and foremost, it is important to recognize that not all certifications and programs are alike. While industrial hygienists work in some sort of food, manufacturing and healthcare industry, our Registered Industrial Hygiene Professional certification can better prepare you for entering any one of these fields than other programs.
The National Registry of Environmental Professionals® is committed to providing professional growth through certification, offering programs that provide global recognition for professionals based upon their education, field knowledge, and professional attributes. And with 23 different certifications to explore, NREPSM is prepared to assist prospective students and working professionals with taking the next step toward industrial hygiene certification. Let us help you compare and contrast related certifications, such as the Registered Industrial Hygiene Professional and other programs that can certify you as an Industrial Hygienist or Safety Technician.
Registered Industrial Hygiene Professional
Minimum Requirements
The Registered Industrial Hygiene Professional certification includes requirements pertaining to education and work experience and is intended to provide credentials to professionals who are responsible for investigating, examining and supplying information to manage and prevent potentially dangerous or harmful conditions in workplace, creation of techniques to anticipate and mitigate dangerous situations and partaking in the creation of regulations, at the federal or state level, to secure workplace and community safety. An exam is required for certification through this industrial hygiene program.
The requirements for other programs will vary from organization to organization. Many require interested individuals to meet certain education and work experience requirements, maintain certification through an annual renewal fee, as well as demonstrate of a minimum level of knowledge and skills through examination in different areas, including basic science, biohazards, thermal stressors, and toxicology.
Educational Requirements
NREPSM’s industrial hygiene certification program requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering, physics, or chemistry OR a bachelor’s degree in a similar biological or physical science awarded by an accredited college or university. Three years of related work experience may be substituted for each year of an academic degree program.
Educational requirements for other programs will also vary. Interested parties must generally have a certain number of course hours of science, math, engineering, or science-based technology from a bachelor’s or higher-degree program from an appropriately accredited college or university. Typically, students must also finish a specific number of academic hours or continuing education hours of courses related to industrial hygiene. At minimum, half of those hours must be in the Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene/OEHS, Toxicology, Controls, and Measurements. Ethics coursework is also generally required.
Work Experience
Work experience requirements for NREPSM’s industrial hygiene certification are three years of experience directly related to industrial hygiene. Please note that education CANNOT be substituted for work experience with this certification.
Those interested in other programs must actively be in practice within a year of their application. In addition, those interested must generally be able to provide a minimum of two professional references who can document several months of industrial hygiene work at the professional level. Other programs also typically require individuals to work either part or full time in occupational hygiene or safety and possess duties that require technical prowess and knowledge within occupational hygiene or safety. Those interested must also have several years of experience in occupational hygiene or safety, but this will vary from organization to organization.
Applications Process
If the above requirements are met, applying for an RIHP exam with the National Registry of Environmental Engineers is easy. Just visit the exam page to register for the online examination, which contains 100 multiple choice questions. The exam covers everything from the history of industrial hygiene and basic science and chemistry to workplace hazard and risk assessment and environmental ethics. A 271- electronic study guide is also available that covers various topics such as biological hazards, air pollution, epidemiology and more.
The application requirements for other programs will fluctuate. However, typically interested parties must take an examination within one year of application approval. Testing can usually be conducted online and/or at a designated testing center.
Evaluation Process
A passing grade for the industrial hygiene certification is a 75%.
A passing score for other programs is generally based on the total number of questions that are answered correctly in the entire examination. The passing grade for each subsequent administration of the certification exam is based upon a statistical equating process, which changes for fluctuations in difficulty levels across alternate versions of the examination. Exams for other programs are usually scored immediately and those who meet the requirements and pass examination are awarded their certification. Credential holders must also pay an annual fee to keep their certification.