Last week, we looked at what a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) does and what an individual must do to attain a CRSP designation. Let’s follow the same drill for a common U.S. designation, the Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

What a CSP Is

The designation Certified Safety Professional is awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) to individuals who meet established standards for a safety professional. As with the CRSP, individuals who attain CSP designations must continue to meet renewal and recertification requirements set by the board.

The CSP’s primary responsibility is the prevention of harm to people, property and the environment. An applicant’s professional duties must include hazard recognition, evaluation and analysis and development and implementation of control.

The Qualifications of a CSP

To qualify for the CSP designation, a person must hold an associate degree in safety and health or a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college or university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the US Department of Education. Experience alone cannot make up for the academic requirement.

If you hold a degree from outside the US, the board will evaluate your degree for US equivalency, at a charge of $200 US.

Applicants must also have fulltime acceptable professional safety practice spanning at least four years. Your position’s primary responsibility must be the prevention of harm to people, property and the environment, encompassing at least 50 percent of your duties.

Furthermore, applicants must have a breadth of duties including hazard recognition, evaluation and analysis and development and implementation of control.

To determine your eligibility to apply to sit for examinations leading to a CSP certification, take an online self-test at http://www.bcsp.org/bcsp/media/eligible.pdf.

Registration Requirements

On January 1, 2009, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals began phasing out the current editions of its two examinations leading to the CSP credential: the Safety Fundamentals and Comprehensive Practice exams. These examinations are being updated to better reflect what safety professionals need to know and the skills required for the tasks and functions of today’s practice.

The examinations will continue to follow a multiple choice format. Further details can be found at www.bcsp.org/changes.

How Much it Costs

The application fee is $145 (US) and the annual renewal fee is $130 (US). The cost of taking CSP examinations is $310 (US), or $410 for computer-delivered examinations to be taken outside the US or Canada.

In order to maintain a CSP designation a person must met Continuance of Certification requirements every five years.

Conclusion

For more information on becoming a CSP, check out the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of the BCSP website.

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