CHMM Certification (Certified Hazardous Materials Manager): Requirements & Guide (2026)

The CSP covers safety. The CIH covers industrial hygiene. But there’s a third piece of the EHS function that neither credential addresses directly: the environmental compliance work tied to hazardous materials and hazardous waste. That’s what the CHMM covers.

For EHS professionals at facilities that generate hazardous waste, manage chemical inventories, or handle DOT-regulated materials, the CHMM is the credential that signals competence in that specific domain.

What the CHMM Actually Covers

IHMM, the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management, administers the CHMM. The exam covers a broad range of federal regulatory programs, most of them EPA and DOT-centered:

RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) is the core of the exam content. This is the federal law governing hazardous waste generation, treatment, storage, and disposal. If you manage waste at a large quantity generator, small quantity generator, or treatment storage disposal facility (TSDF), RCRA is the framework you work under daily. The CHMM exam tests whether you understand the generator categories, the accumulation time rules, manifest requirements, land disposal restrictions, and the corrective action process.

CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), also known as Superfund, covers liability for contaminated sites and the cleanup process. EHS professionals who deal with brownfields, site assessments, or legacy contamination need to know this framework.

DOT Hazardous Materials Transportation regulations fall under 49 CFR. If your facility ships hazardous materials or hazardous waste, proper classification, packaging, labeling, marking, and placarding are required. Violations carry significant penalties. The CHMM exam tests knowledge of HazMat shipping requirements that safety-focused professionals often haven’t studied.

EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) covers Tier II reporting, toxic release inventory (TRI) reporting under Section 313, and emergency planning obligations for facilities with threshold quantities of hazardous chemicals. Many EHS managers do this work annually without a deep understanding of the underlying statute.

The exam also covers Clean Air Act compliance relevant to hazardous materials (Risk Management Plans under RMP for facilities with covered processes), Clean Water Act requirements including spill prevention and SPCC plans, and environmental auditing principles.

Who Needs the CHMM

Not every EHS professional needs this credential. The CSP serves most safety managers well throughout their careers. But specific roles and industries consistently list CHMM as required or strongly preferred.

EHS managers at chemical manufacturing facilities deal with RCRA hazardous waste on a daily basis. CHMM is table stakes for senior EHS positions at these facilities. Refineries and petrochemical plants sit in the same category.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers generate significant quantities of regulated waste and have complex chemical inventory management obligations. CHMM credentials appear regularly in EHS job postings from major pharma employers.

Semiconductor fabrication uses a wide range of hazardous chemicals and generates hazardous waste streams that require careful regulatory management. EHS professionals at chip fabrication facilities often hold both CSP and CHMM.

Hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal companies (TSDFs) directly regulated under RCRA almost always require or prefer CHMM for their EHS staff.

Environmental consulting firms like Stantec, AECOM, Arcadis, and Tetra Tech hire CHMM holders for site assessment, remediation support, and compliance audit work. If you’re targeting consulting, CHMM combined with CSP makes you competitive for a broad range of environmental and safety consulting assignments.

Federal agencies are another consistent employer. EPA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy all hire for hazardous materials and environmental compliance roles where CHMM is a recognized qualification.

Requirements

IHMM requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Natural science, engineering, environmental science, and health and safety disciplines all qualify. Candidates with a bachelor’s degree need three years of full-time professional experience in hazardous materials management. A master’s degree reduces the experience requirement to two years.

The experience must be substantive professional work, not incidental exposure. Managing a hazmat shipping program, running RCRA compliance at a generator facility, conducting EPCRA reporting, or performing environmental compliance audits would qualify. Simply being aware that your facility handles hazardous chemicals doesn’t.

IHMM reviews applications and verifies experience before authorizing candidates to sit for the exam. Check ihmm.org for current requirements. IHMM updates eligibility criteria periodically, and the figures above reflect published requirements but should be confirmed before you apply.

CHMM vs CSP vs CIH: The EHS Credential Triangle

These three credentials address different domains within the EHS function, and understanding the distinction helps you prioritize correctly.

The CSP covers occupational safety and health: OSHA regulations, safety management systems, incident prevention, workers’ compensation interface, and the hazard recognition and control framework that applies broadly across industries. It’s the credential with the widest career applicability. Most EHS professionals benefit from pursuing CSP first unless their role is clearly specialized.

The CIH covers industrial hygiene: exposure assessment, sampling methodology, toxicology, and the recognition, evaluation, and control of workplace chemical, physical, and biological hazards. It’s the right credential if health hazard assessment and exposure monitoring are primary job functions.

The CHMM covers the environmental compliance and hazardous materials management side: EPA regulatory programs, hazardous waste management, DOT transportation, and environmental auditing. It’s the right credential when your work involves regulatory compliance for hazardous materials under EPA and DOT frameworks, rather than occupational exposure under OSHA.

At many large industrial facilities, the EHS manager holds CSP and CHMM together because the role spans both safety and environmental compliance. That combination is common enough that employers in chemical, refining, and pharmaceutical manufacturing often list both as preferred credentials in senior EHS job postings. The CIH gets added when the industrial hygiene function is a significant part of the role.

If you’re early in your EHS career and trying to figure out which to pursue first, the answer for most people is CSP. It’s the broadest credential. You add CHMM when your role clearly demands it.

The Exam: Content and Approach

The CHMM exam is administered as a computer-based test at testing centers. The exam fee currently runs in the $300 to $400 range. Verify current fees at ihmm.org before applying, as these are subject to change.

IHMM publishes an exam content outline on their website. Start there. The outline tells you exactly which regulatory programs appear on the exam and at what depth. Study from the actual regulations rather than secondary summaries. 49 CFR HazMat, 40 CFR RCRA provisions, and the EPCRA statutes are the primary source documents.

The regulatory scope is broader than the CSP exam. CSP candidates focus primarily on occupational safety and health principles and OSHA standards. CHMM candidates need fluency in EPA regulations, DOT regulations, and environmental law concepts that safety-focused professionals often haven’t encountered. Budget adequate study time if you’re coming from a primarily safety background.

Candidates from environmental consulting or regulatory affairs backgrounds often find the exam more aligned with their existing knowledge. Safety managers transitioning into EHS management roles with environmental responsibility should expect the EPA and DOT material to require the most preparation.

ANSI/ISO 17024 Accreditation

The CHMM carries ANSI/ISO 17024 accreditation, the same international standard that covers BCSP credentials including the CSP and the ASP. This means the credential meets internationally recognized standards for personnel certification programs, including requirements for exam development, candidate eligibility verification, and continuing certification.

That accreditation matters when you’re presenting your credentials to EPA inspectors, state environmental agencies, or employers who verify the rigor of certifications listed on a resume. The CHMM isn’t a weekend certificate course. It’s a credentialing program with genuine eligibility requirements and a psychometrically developed exam.

Career Paths Where CHMM Is Standard

Several career paths treat CHMM as a standard professional qualification rather than an optional credential:

EHS managers at chemical manufacturing plants and refineries typically hold CHMM as a baseline requirement for senior-level positions. The facilities are subject to RCRA, RMP, SPCC, and EPCRA obligations simultaneously. Having a credential that covers those frameworks directly is expected.

Environmental compliance managers at large industrial companies, particularly those managing multi-site programs, frequently hold CHMM as their primary credential or alongside CSP.

Hazardous waste program managers at facilities that generate, store, or dispose of regulated waste. This includes TSDFs, large industrial generators, and companies that manage hazardous waste as part of product manufacturing.

Environmental consultants at firms serving industrial clients for site assessments, Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, RCRA compliance audits, and corrective action support. The CHMM is a recognized credential in the consulting market that environmental consulting firms value alongside technical degrees.

Federal and state agency roles in EPA, state environmental agencies, DOD environmental compliance offices, and DOE facility operations frequently list CHMM as a preferred qualification.

Salary Impact

The ASSP Salary Survey doesn’t publish a specific premium for CHMM holders separate from other EHS credentials. What’s clear from employer job postings is that CHMM, when required or strongly preferred, is typically attached to senior-level positions with higher base compensation.

EHS professionals holding both CSP and CHMM are competing for senior EHS manager and environmental compliance manager roles at industrial facilities where both credentials signal full-spectrum competency. Those roles pay at the upper end of the EHS salary range. Per BLS OEWS May 2024 data for SOC 19-5011 (environmental health and safety specialists), the 90th percentile nationally exceeds $136,000. Verify current figures at BLS OEWS.

When to Pursue It

If you’re an EHS professional and hazardous waste management, RCRA compliance, or environmental regulatory work is already part of your job, CHMM is worth pursuing now. It formalizes the expertise you’re developing and opens doors at employers that require it.

If you’re in primarily safety-focused work with minimal hazardous materials exposure, get the CSP first. Then add CHMM when your role or target role demands it.

The combination of CSP and CHMM is genuinely competitive for senior EHS positions at industrial facilities. If that’s where you want to be in five years, building toward both credentials is a clear path.

Key Questions

Use these answers to decide your next step quickly.

What is the CHMM certification?

The CHMM (Certified Hazardous Materials Manager) is an ANSI/ISO 17024-accredited credential issued by IHMM, the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. It covers hazardous materials management, hazardous waste handling under RCRA, emergency response under EPCRA, DOT hazardous materials transportation regulations, and environmental compliance. It's the benchmark credential for EHS professionals whose work involves hazardous waste generation, treatment, storage, or disposal, and for those managing EPA compliance obligations at industrial facilities.

What are the requirements for the CHMM?

IHMM requires a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 3 years of full-time professional experience in hazardous materials management. Candidates with a master's degree need only 2 years of experience. The experience must involve professional-level work with hazardous materials, not just incidental exposure. Check ihmm.org for current requirements as IHMM updates them periodically.

How does the CHMM compare to the CSP?

The CSP and CHMM address different parts of the EHS function. The CSP covers occupational safety and health, including OSHA compliance, incident prevention, and safety management systems. The CHMM covers hazardous materials and environmental compliance, including EPA regulations, RCRA hazardous waste management, and DOT transportation. Both are ANSI/ISO 17024-accredited. EHS managers at chemical plants, refineries, or facilities with significant hazardous waste generation often hold both. If your work is primarily safety, pursue CSP first. If hazardous materials management is a primary function, CHMM may be the right first credential.

Is the CHMM worth it?

For EHS professionals at chemical facilities, refineries, pharmaceutical plants, and industrial manufacturers with hazardous waste generation, yes. The CHMM demonstrates that you understand the environmental compliance framework that sits alongside OSHA compliance at those facilities. It carries weight with EPA inspectors, state environmental agencies, and employers in hazmat-intensive industries. For safety professionals in industries with minimal hazardous materials exposure, the CSP provides more career-wide benefit.

What industries value the CHMM?

Chemical manufacturing, oil and gas refining, pharmaceutical manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, hazardous waste treatment and disposal companies, environmental consulting firms, and federal contractors handling hazardous materials. Government agencies including EPA, DOD, and DOE hire professionals with CHMM credentials for environmental compliance and hazardous materials management roles.

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