The Death of the “Safety Guy”
When it comes to making the workplace safer, there is as much room for people who acquired their safety pedigree through years of work experience and corporate training as there is for those who acquired theirs in a university.
Posted: March 14, 2012
Irrespective of whether or not a safety professional is degreed, many organizations encourage safety professionals to earn and maintain a third-party certification in safety. Each of these certifications has a different focus, with different requirements for earning and retaining these credentials.
CSP: CERTIFIED SAFETY PROFESSIONAL
Perhaps the most highly sought safety certification is the Certified Safety Professional (CSP). A Certified Safety Professional is an individual who has a bachelor’s degree in any subject with at least three years of experience and has passed exams that test his or her knowledge of professional safety practices. To maintain a CSP, one must meet recertification requirements established by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, typically by earning continuing education units (CEUs).
A CSP should possess a well-rounded and complete knowledge of general safety practices and requirements, but a certification doesn’t mean that the holder knows all there is to know about worker safety, especially within a given industry.
ASP: ASSOCIATE SAFETY PROFESSIONAL
An Associate Safety Professional (ASP) is seldom seen on business cards, but just might show up on the résumé of a job seeker. An ASP is a temporary awarded designation that identifies an individual who meets the academic qualifications for a CSP and has successfully completed the first of two examinations required to earn a CSP. In some cases, a new college graduate may have earned an ASP certification, but has insufficient work experience to be awarded CSP certification. Hiring an individual with an ASP is a great way to bring someone on board with the expectation that the professional’s skills will grow with the organization.
GSP: GRADUATE SAFETY PRACTITIONER
Safety professionals who have earned a master’s degree may qualify for designation as a Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP). To earn a GSP, the masters’ program must also meet the standards of the issuing body. Beyond those certifications for individuals seeking a professional accreditation in wide areas of safety, there are also certifications that are tailored to specialties. Some of the more common specialty certifications in safety include:
CHST: CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY TECHNICIAN
A Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) has no minimum educational requirement apart from a high school diploma or a GED. CHST certification requires the individual to have worked in construction for at least a year where at least 35 percent of the individual’s work experience was safety-related. Many professionals who hold CHST certification have also completed an ABET-accredited associate’s degree that is related to safety.
Many of the professionals who hold CHST certification have work experience where safety was not their full time jobs. Obviously CHST professionals have a high focus on construction, but someone with a CHST might also be right for smaller shops where safety is a duty rather than a complete job unto itself.
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