11.1 The SSS Examination: Entry Rules, Format, Retakes and Paper 1 Technique

Who sets the examination

The examination belongs to the Lembaga Penilaian Kompetensi Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan (LPKKKP), the OSH Competency Assessment Board. Its SSS Competency Committee is supported by a secretariat at NIOSH's Examination and Certification Division. The rules below come from the LPKKKP's Syarat dan Format Peperiksaan Penyelia Keselamatan Tapak (SSS), document 600-6-12/3A:

• approved on 26 June 2025
• in force from July 2025
• most recently updated in February 2026

Check NIOSH's website before you book, because these documents are revised.

Entry requirements

DOSH's registration routes (Section 1.1) set the experience you need after passing. The examination itself has no experience requirement.

Format and fees

The official notes to the format say:

• New candidates sit Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the same examination session.
• Candidates with repeat status from before the July 2025 session also sit both papers in one session.
• Candidates must pass both Part A and Part B of Paper 2.
• A candidate who fails Paper 2 repeats only the part they failed: Part A or Part B.

Language: every question is printed in Bahasa Melayu and English. Answer in one language only throughout. Learn the key terms in both languages, for example:

• kontraktor prinsipal: principal contractor
• penilaian risiko: risk assessment
• perancah: scaffold
• pengorekan: excavation
• ruang terkurung: confined space

Retakes and certificate

• Retakes: there is no limit on retakes, but the candidate must complete the examination within two years of the date of the first examination.
• After two years: the candidate is given fail status and must attend the SSS course again.
• Certificate: candidates who pass receive a Sijil Kelayakan (certificate of qualification). They then apply to DOSH through MyKKP for registration as a competent person (Section 1.1).

The 2026 session pattern

NIOSH's 2026 schedule has nine sessions: 13 January, 10 February, 7 April, 19 May, 23 June, 28 July, 8 September, 20 October and 24 November.

• Paper 1 and Paper 2A are held on the same day. Paper 2B runs online by Zoom over the following three days.
• Applications and payment close about a month before each session. Repeat candidates must pay by the closing date.
• Venues are NIOSH headquarters in Bandar Baru Bangi and NIOSH regional offices:
  • Johor Bahru, Melaka, Ipoh, Pulau Pinang
  • Kuantan, Kerteh, Kota Bharu
  • Kuching, Bintulu, Miri
  • Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Labuan
• Paper 2A is held at the same location as Paper 1. Your examination slip shows the actual venue. The LPKKKP may postpone sessions or change venues, and says location changes are announced a week before the examination.
• Install Telegram: the SSS examination channel link is sent by SMS, so make sure NIOSH has your correct phone number.
• Your presentation slides must be ready, as a soft copy, on your Paper 2B day.

Paper 1 Part A: multiple-choice technique

60 questions in 90 minutes gives you 90 seconds per question. Work through once, answering what you know and marking doubtful items, then return to them.

Common traps:

1. Repealed law.
   • Options citing the Factories and Machinery Act 1967, BOWEC 1986, "JKJ" forms, or the old Special Orders for cranes and temporary structures describe the law before 1 June 2024.
   • The current framework is OSHA 1994 as amended, CDM 2024, the Plant Requiring Certificate of Fitness Regulations 2024 and the other current regulations (Sections 1.2 to 1.4).
2. Who holds the duty.
   • Under CDM 2024, the client notifies, the principal contractor appoints the SSS, and the construction work contractor carries most Part IV duties.
   • Under OSHA, the employer assesses risk under section 18B, and the occupier appoints the SHO under section 29.
3. Numbers.
   • Learn the figures that recur:
     • notification above 30 working days or 500 person-days
     • 85 dB(A) noise limit
     • confined space oxygen 19.5–23.5%
     • 10% of the lower explosive limit
     • first-aiders 1 per 20 workers on high-risk sites
     • NADOPOD reporting within 7 days
     • the HIRARC 5 × 5 matrix
   • Distractors are often nearby values.
4. "First" or "most appropriate" action.
   • The answer is usually the one that removes people from immediate danger or uses the highest level of the hierarchy.
   • Training, signs and PPE answer "first" questions only when nothing higher is possible.
5. Absolute words. "Always", "never" and "only" are often wrong unless the law really is absolute. For example, untrained rescue entry into a confined space is never allowed.

Paper 1 Part B: structured questions and the essay

You have 2 hours for three structured questions and one essay. A workable plan:

• about 25 minutes for each structured question
• about 35 minutes for the essay
• the remaining 10 minutes for checking

Structured questions

Read the command word and answer to it:

For risk questions, use the HIRARC chain: hazard → how it causes harm → who is at risk → controls by the hierarchy (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE) → legal basis → the SSS's monitoring role.

Worked example. "State four hazards in a 2.5 m deep trench and suggest a control for each (8 marks)."

Eight marks for four hazards means two marks each: one for the hazard and one for a specific control. "Wear PPE" earns little.

The essay

Plan for two or three minutes before writing:

1. Introduction: define the topic and say why it matters on Malaysian sites (accident data, legal duty).
2. Legal framework: OSHA sections (15, 18B, 24), the relevant CDM 2024 regulations, and other regulations or DOSH guidelines.
3. Hazards and risks: grouped logically, such as by stage of work.
4. Controls: following the hierarchy, including planning, competent persons, permits, inspection and emergency arrangements.
5. The SSS's role: inspection, briefings, stopping unsafe work, reporting to the principal contractor, records.
6. Conclusion: summarise the key message.

Use headings and short paragraphs so the examiner can find your points. Cite laws correctly. A wrong or repealed citation costs credibility.

Final revision checklist

• Every OSHA section and CDM regulation in Sections 1.2 to 1.4: who, what, and the penalty band
• The HIRARC process, matrix and control hierarchy (Section 2.3)
• Permits to work (Section 2.4) and the confined space permit (Section 9.3)
• The figures for scaffolds, falls, excavations, lifting, electricity, noise, heat, manual handling and first aid in Chapters 4 to 10
• The incident reporting duties under NADOPOD 2004 (Section 2.5)
• Your Paper 2B presentation topic and its HIRARC (Section 11.2)