The Associate Safety Professional (ASP) certification exam is the first of a two-part process to become a Certified Safety Professional (CSP). The ASP exam is a five-hour computer-based test with 200 multiple-choice questions designed to measure the academic knowledge expected of the entry-level safety professional.

BCSP ASP11 Examination Blueprint (September 1, 2025)

Most concepts from the previous blueprint (ASP10) carried over, but content was added or redefined in every domain, and the whole blueprint is more detailed than before. The highlights:

  • Domain 2 is now the biggest domain by a wide margin, jumping from 17% to 25%. It also picked up safety management systems for program development (ISO 45001, ANSI Z10.0) and awareness of emerging technologies such as data mining, robotics, drones, and AI. “Control of hazardous energy” became “implementing hazardous energy control programs,” and incident investigation shifted from conducting to facilitating.
  • Domain 1 was renamed from Advanced Sciences and Math to Mathematical Calculations. The content mostly stayed the same, but the tasks now focus on the calculations themselves rather than on broader science topics.
  • Domain 3 was reorganized into a more logical flow: elements of an ergonomics plan, then identifying risk factors, then applying principles.
  • Domain 4 added two items: identifying fire extinguisher types and selecting appropriate fire prevention signs and labels.
  • Domain 5 expanded significantly, adding elements of emergency response planning, risks tied to specific sources of emergency, disaster response and recovery, and lone worker safety.
  • Domain 6 expanded to include fundamental requirements of industrial hygiene programs, general chemistry, general human anatomy, Total Worker Health®, and fitness for duty (previously in Domain 3).
  • Domain 7 changed the least, with the addition of environmental, social, and governance (ESG).
  • Domain 8 added assessing training effectiveness and knowledge retention, human risk factors affecting performance, and the difference between competent and qualified persons.
  • Domain 9 was refocused and renamed to Legal, with expanded expectations around legal liability, contract management, record control, and risk transfer (previously in Domain 2).

Domain 1: Mathematical Calculations (10%)

  • Storage capacity
  • Rigging and load calculations
  • Flow rates (ventilation, hydraulic, pneumatic)
  • Slope angle and depth ratio for trenching and excavation
  • Noise hazards (time-weighted average, dual machinery, noise reduction rates)
  • Climate and environmental conditions (ambient temperature, wind chill, heat index)
  • Fall protection parameters (free-fall distance, maximum arresting force, force of impact, total fall distance, clearance)
  • Lagging indicators (incidence rates, lost time, direct costs of incidents)
  • Manual lift parameters (NIOSH lifting equation)
  • General physics (force, acceleration, velocity, momentum, friction)
  • Descriptive statistics (central tendency, variability, probability, standard deviation)
  • Probability of failure mode
  • Financial indicators (cost-benefit analysis, cost of risk, life cycle cost, return on investment, effects of losses)
  • Exposure assessments (biological, chemical, TLV, STEL, TWA)
  • Radiation exposure (shielding, half-life, dosage)
  • Unit conversions (metric/imperial)

Domain 2: Safety Programs and Concepts (25%)

  • Safety management systems for program development (ISO 45001, ANSI Z10.0)
  • The hierarchy of hazard controls
  • Hazard and risk analysis methods (hazard analysis, FMEA, fault tree analysis, fishbone, what-if and checklist analysis, change analysis)
  • Risk matrix methodology for ranking and mitigating risks
  • The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)
  • Hazardous energy control programs (electrical, hydraulic, thermal, kinetic, mechanical, magnetic)
  • General electrical principles (Ohm’s Law, power, impedance, energy, resistance, circuits)
  • Key safety fundamentals of trenching and excavations, working at heights, slips/trips/falls, machine guarding, powered industrial trucks, hoisting and rigging, scaffolding, process safety, confined spaces, fleet and driver safety, PPE, and compressed gasses/pressure vessels
  • Facilitating incident investigations (root causes, contributing factors, data collection, analysis, chain of custody, high risk incidents)
  • Management of change
  • Interpreting leading and lagging indicators
  • Awareness of emerging technologies (data mining, robotics, drones, artificial intelligence)

Domain 3: Ergonomics (8%)

  • Elements of an ergonomics program
  • Ergonomic risk factors: repetition, force, awkward/static postures, and other stressors (contact, vibration, lighting, temperature conditions)
  • Work-related musculoskeletal ergonomic injuries
  • Ergonomic principles for workspace design (in-office, remote, field, assembly station, bench/hood)
  • Ergonomic principles for manual material handling (safe lifting)
  • Ergonomic work practice controls (exoskeleton, job rotation, early symptom intervention)
  • Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods (NIOSH Lifting Equation, anthropometry, REBA, RULA)

Domain 4: Fire Prevention and Protection (12%)

  • Fundamentals of fire science (classification, fire pentagon/tetrahedron, upper and lower explosive/flammable limits)
  • Flammable and combustible materials (chemical and physical properties, handling, compatibility)
  • Electrical hazards and applicable controls: electrostatic discharge, overcurrent protection, arc flash, ground fault circuit interrupter, grounding and bonding, hazardous area classifications (NFPA classifications, non-intrinsically safe)
  • Hazards during hot work operations
  • Combustible dust hazards (conflagration, sources of ignition)
  • Fire detection systems
  • Fire suppression systems
  • Fire extinguisher types, use, and requirements
  • Segregation and separation (flammable materials storage and ventilation)
  • Effective housekeeping practices (dust control, disposal of combustibles)
  • Selecting appropriate fire prevention signs and labels

Domain 5: Emergency Preparedness and Response (10%)

  • Elements of an emergency response plan
  • Risks associated with natural, human, and biological sources of emergencies and disasters (pandemic, bioterrorism)
  • Key elements of preparing for an emergency (drills, worksite security, evacuation routes, life safety, medical/first aid)
  • Elements of disaster response and recovery (incident command, business continuity)
  • Key elements of a workplace violence prevention program
  • Safety considerations for lone workers

Domain 6: Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health (12%)

  • Fundamental requirements of industrial hygiene programs (hearing conservation, respiratory protection, medical surveillance)
  • General chemistry concepts (classification, composition, nomenclature, neutralization, reactions, ideal gas law, pH levels)
  • General human anatomy and physiology related to occupational exposures
  • Sources, sampling, control strategies, symptoms, and target organs for physical, chemical, and biological exposure hazards
  • Types of occupational exposure limits (STEL, TWA, IDLH, ceiling)
  • Routes of entry for hazardous substances
  • Acute versus chronic exposures
  • Universal precautions for the control of pathogens (bloodborne, viral, bacterial)
  • General ionizing radiation principles (decay, half-life, source strength, concentration, inverse square law)
  • Requirements for fitness for duty and return to work
  • Key aspects of Total Worker Health®

Domain 7: Environmental Management (7%)

  • Environmental hazards (biological, chemical, waste, radon)
  • Environmental impacts and best practices (spill/release, conservation) related to water, air, and land
  • The hierarchy of conservation (reduce/reuse/recycle, waste energy)
  • Environmental management system standards for program development (ISO 14001)
  • Waste removal, treatment, classification, labeling, certification, and disposal
  • The EHS role in environmental, social, and governance (ESG)

Domain 8: Training, Education, and Communication (11%)

  • Appropriate learning theory and techniques
  • Training tools (instructor-led, computer-based, group meeting, virtual)
  • Creating a positive safety culture (open feedback, effective communication, psychological safety, emotional intelligence)
  • Facilitating data collection, needs analysis, gap analysis, and feedback
  • Defining baseline competency to determine training needs
  • Assessing training effectiveness and knowledge retention
  • Human risk factors affecting performance (behavior, decision making, situation awareness, workload management, risk perception, stress)
  • Requirements for and differences between competent and qualified persons

Domain 9: Legal (5%)

  • Compliance requirements and legal liability of safety professional practices (audits, sampling, reporting, procedural review)
  • Legal liability regarding contractor management and multi-employer worksites
  • Contract terminology and contract management lifecycle
  • Records control (retention, chain-of-custody, worker privacy)
  • Appropriate actions based on knowledge and scope limitations (cybersecurity, insurance, legal)
  • Principles of risk transfer (outsourcing, insurance)
  • Liabilities relating to worker impairment (drugs, alcohol, fatigue, stress)

Ready to start studying for the ASP11 exam? All of our practice questions are written by industry experts, and each question comes with a detailed explanation.

 

*Disclaimer: Pocket Prep, Inc. is not affiliated with or endorsed by the BCSP®. Accordingly, the BCSP® makes no representations regarding the content of Pocket Prep, Inc. materials. All organizational and test names are trademarks of their respective owners.