CIH Application Overview of Steps

To qualify for admission to the BGC examinations as an applicant, you must comply with all Board requisites. Documents and forms sent by you and third parties will be needed to assess your eligibility to sit for the exam(s). BGC will evaluate all applicants using the criteria established for the certification eligibility and will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or marital, parental, military, or any other legally protected status. We may ask you for additional documentation when an initial review of your application (or reapplication) indicates that pertinent information is missing or unclear. In that case, a review of your application or reapplication will not proceed until we receive the requested information.

Submitting your application well in advance of deadlines may give you sufficient time to provide additional information without delaying your approval to sit for the exam. Your application packet is active for two years. If you do not pass the exam within two years, you are required to submit an updated reference that can attest to dates and quality of professional practice and pay a reapplication fee every two years to keep your application active.

Application Steps

There are three steps to the application process for becoming certified as a CIH. Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with the requirements before you begin your application. Please also note that you must meet all current eligibility requirements.

Step 1: Educating yourself about the process and requirements:

• The pages to your right under the heading “CIH Candidate Handbook” used to be a printed document which is now separated into several pages for ease of navigation. It is your responsibility to read every page and familiarize yourself with the entire application process and requirements.

Step 2:  Submission of General Application Documents:

• Create an account and apply online by visiting the Computer Application and Portfolio System (CAPS). This will tell BGC about you and your IH background as well as confirm your agreement to abide by the BGC Code of Ethics.
• Ask your university/universities to send official transcripts to BGC.
  • They must show all degree courses with conferral dates.
  • They must be sent directly to BGC via surface mail or email to applications@GoBGC.org.
  • Official transcripts in a sealed envelope with the registrar’s stamp across the seal are acceptable.
  • We can NOT accept transcripts uploaded, mailed, or emailed directly from the applicant.
• If your degree was earned outside the U.S. or Canada, BGC will ask you to submit your transcript(s) for a credential evaluation. This can be obtained from a member organization of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. or a member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators.

Below is a list of different services that our applicants have used for transcript evaluations. BGC does not specifically endorse or recommend one service over another.

• • International Education Evaluations (IEE)
  • World Education Services
  • Spantran
  • Academic Evaluation Services
  • Foundation for International Services

• List academic and continuing education coursework to meet the STEM, IH, and Ethics Training requirements.
• Describe your professional-level IH work experience.
  • You will need to show that you have worked for at least 4 years (48 months) at a professional IH level.
    • One year or 6 months of credit is granted to graduates of an ABET-accredited IH program with a master’s or bachelor’s degree, respectively.
  • Answer the questions about your work experience as prompted by CAPS.
    • Avoid generic statements like “Recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors that may relate to worker illness or impaired health.” Provide sufficient details on your professional responsibilities to clearly highlight your IH activity.
  • Ask your references to submit an online Professional Reference Questionnaire (PRQ) Form to BGC on your behalf.
    • BGC requires a minimum of two PRQs who must attest to dates and quality of professional practice (more than two may be required to reflect the duration of your work)
    • To be considered for the current exam window, all PRQs must be received no later than the application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact reference writers, send them the online PRQ link, and check with them about the status of the PRQ.
    • The submitted PRQs must add up to the 48 months of professional-level IH work that you are claiming. If you hold a degree from a school whose IH program is ABET-accredited, you may only need to cover either 36 (master’s degree) or 42 (bachelor’s degree) months.
    • One of the PRQs must be from a CIH familiar with your practice. Not all PRQs must be completed by a CIH; only one is required to be from a CIH.
    • If you do not know a CIH, the following alternatives are available.
  • Pay the Application Fee (non-refundable) and submit your application on CAPS.

Step 3:  Examination:

• If you have a documented disability, you may submit a Test Accommodation Request Form before the application deadline.
• Pay all examination fees.
• Schedule the exam.

If you successfully meet the requirements of both steps and pass the exam, you will be awarded the CIH credential. A CIH Eligibility Checklist has been designed for you to determine whether you have met the requirements for steps 1 through 2 before applying for your CIH exam.

Qualifications and Evaluation

To qualify for admission to the BGC examinations as an applicant, you must comply with all Board requisites:

• Submit only one application per person
• Meet academic requirements/IH coursework
• Meet the professional industrial hygiene experience requirement documented by references
• Be in the current practice of industrial hygiene
• Agree to adhere to the BGC Code of Ethics and to be governed by the BGC Ethics Case Procedures
• Pay your application fee and examination fee

Until you are certified, your application packet will remain active for 4 consecutive exam windows (which is equal to two years). You are required to submit an updated PRQ and pay a reapplication fee every two years to keep your application active until you pass the exam.

Deadline

Your application materials, including transcripts, references, and educational coursework (including ethics and supplemental information), must be postmarked no later than February 1 for the Spring examination or August 1 for the Fall examination. Your application packet will be valid for four test windows, which is equal to two years.

Evaluation

BGC will evaluate all applicants using the criteria established for CIH eligibility and will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or marital, parental, military, or any other legally protected status.

We may ask you for additional documentation when the initial review of your application (or reapplication) indicates that pertinent information is missing or unclear. In that case, the review of your application or reapplication will not proceed until we receive the requested information.

Confidentiality

Original applications and supporting documentation are treated by the BGC Board of Directors and staff as confidential information. As noted in the BGC Privacy Policy, all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent unauthorized access to individual information. BGC does not disclose personal information obtained from you or any other applicant to third parties except when authorized in writing by you or if necessary to complete the process – for example, arranging for you to sit for the exam.

Record Retention

In accordance with the BGC record-retention policy, paper files and electronic documents provided by applicants that have been inactive for three years will be destroyed. Prior to destroying a file, the staff will attempt to notify you using your last known address.

CIH Reapplicants

An application is considered to be active for four consecutive exam windows, which equals two years. After the second year, your application expires. You must update the description of your current practice, provide an updated PRQ, and pay a reapplication fee to reactivate an expired application in order to sit for the exam. The application deadlines of February 1 or August 1 apply to all materials and fees that must be submitted by reapplicants. To reactivate an expired application and sit for the exam, you must complete the following steps:

• Submit a Reapplication Application via your CAPS portal (choose the Education Pathways for Reapplicants in CAPS that says, “I have already been approved”)
• Have a Professional Reference Questionnaire (PRQ) submitted by a work colleague or supervisor that can attest to the quality and professional practice that is no more than 12 months old (see Experience Requirements)
• Update your work experience information in CAPS to document your current practice
• Meet all current application requirements
• Pay the $150 reapplication fee (non-refundable)