How to Be a More Effective CHO

The habits, judgment and conversations behind the role

A Chemical Hygiene Officer can know every rule and still find that people work around the program. This course is about the person in the role: how you read yourself, the situation and the place; when you speak; how you ask, correct and say no; the habits you keep; how you earn trust; and how you stay effective. It is written for CHOs in schools and districts and in companies and labs, in equal measure.

This course is not how you become a Chemical Hygiene Officer. That route is our Chemical Hygiene Officer Certification Pathway, which is endorsed by NRCC and counts as one year of experience toward NRCC’s CHO certification. This course builds on the Pathway, for people serving as a CHO who want the everyday side of the role to work. Take it after Chemical Hygiene Officer Leadership, or alongside it.

• Module 1: Know Yourself
• Module 2: Read the Situation
• Module 3: Read the Place
• Module 4: Speak Early
• Module 5: Communicate to Be Heard
• Module 6: Daily and Weekly Habits
• Module 7: Earn Trust, Make It Safe to Speak Up
• Module 8: Stay Effective

Each module ends with a Practice in your own building or site, flip cards and a short quiz. The eight Practices build your Effective CHO Playbook, and you rate yourself at the start and the end to see your own change.

Finish the course and you earn a Science Safety certificate of completion. Every certificate has its own verification page, so a school district or an employer can confirm it is genuine.