In Part 1 of this environmental professional certification series, we looked at the Registered Environmental Manager (REM) for Americans. Let's now look at the Canadian Certified Environmental Practitioner (CCEP) designation.

The CCEP certification is the only designation of its kind in Canada to provide practitioners with formal recognition through the Canadian Environmental Certification Approvals Board (CECAB).

Three Sectors

The designation offers a number of different fields of specialization in which candidates can choose to become certified. It is designed to allow practitioners to obtain recognition that is specific to their skill set and expertise. For example, the following are three sectors that candidates may be interested in:

Sector A: Environmental Protection: Air quality, water quality, waste management, restoration and reclamation, human and environmental health and safety, environmental protection management.

Sector B: Conservation and Preservation of Natural Resources: Fisheries and wildlife, forestry, agriculture, mining, energy, parks and natural resources.

Sector C: Environmental Sustainability: Education, research and development, policy and legislation, communications and public awareness, sustainable development management.

A Two-Phased Approach

CCEP certification is available exclusively to practitioners who have five or more years of relevant career experience, and who meet the criteria set out in the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for environmental employment.

CCEP has two phases: self-evaluation and validation (completed online). In the self-evaluation phase, candidates rank their ability to perform specific environmental activities. In the validation phase, candidates who meet the standards have their environmental skills and knowledge verified through confidential peer evaluation. They are then formally evaluated by the CECAB.

Eligibility

In order to qualify to be a CCEP, you must meet the following criteria:

Post-Secondary Education: Completion of a two- or three-year college diploma program from a recognized college, or a four-year university degree or an equivalent credential from a foreign institution.

Career Experience: Five or more years of relevant Canadian environmental work experience or equivalent.

Environmental Skills and Knowledge: Environmental expertise that meets the requirements for proficiency in each field of specialization you apply for, as compared with the National Occupational Standards (NOS). (You can find more information on these standards here.)

Application Process

To complete your CCEP application online, follow these 6 steps:

Fees

You are required to pay a one-time application fee of $200, and an annual certification renewal fee of $150. To maintain certification, CCEPs are required to undergo a complete re-evaluation of their skills every five years at a cost of $150.

Professional Development

CECAB requires that CCEPs complete 150 hours a year of professional development in order to keep up with the changing environment industry. Professional development activities include:

Conclusion

If you don't yet meet the criteria for a CCEP designation, you may be eligible for Canadian Environmental Practitioner-in-Training (CEPIT) certification. For more information about CECAB, visit their site here.

I LEARNED ABOUT SAFETY FROM THAT


Through the Looking (Float) Glass

Safety career became clear as glass.

I would like to contribute my story into the mix.

My entry into the field of safety came about when I was the training manager for a float-glass manufacturing plant and worked with the safety manager to develop the safety training programs. The safety manager was a former OSHA inspector, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and a corporate safety manager and we became good friends working together to develop and teach these training topics to our 300+ employees.

The plant was a 24/7-365 operation and we tried to teach on all the shifts without interrupting the process; to this end I became a safety trainer to help the safety manager. I was not new to the field of safety, having been a 20 year veteran in the US Navy Submarine Service. In the Navy, especially in submarines, safety is stressed. I was familiar with confined spaces, industrial hygiene, hazard communications and hazardous waste handling, fall protection, and respirators, to name but a few disciplines. So, teaching these topics was not a stretch as I had numerous real-life experiences to weave into the training.

A day came where the safety manager resigned and moved on to a new endeavor and I interviewed for the position and was accepted. In the 8 years of my involvement in safety at the facility, 5 with the safety manager and 3 on my own, we saw our OSHA Recordable Incident Rate (ORIR) go from a 10 to a 0.2. With my mix of training and safety backgrounds we ensured 100% attendance at all safety training events, I became an OSHA Outreach Instructor and we led 92% of our people through the OSHA 10hr General Industry training during a 6 week hot repair. The other 8% completed the training after we resumed production. We went over 700 days without a Lost Time accident - a record for our company and our specific site.

Since my days at the float-glass plant I, too, have moved on to new endeavors and have become the safety manager of a wire and cable manufacturer and have completed my Masters of Science in Occupational Health and Safety. My next goal is to earn my CSP, and then we will see about the Ph D. Teaching is in my blood and I plan on passing on my knowledge in the collegiate arena when my days in the public sector are done.

Gary Wogan

What led you to a career in safety? Share your stories with SafetyXChange members. Send them to catherinej@bongarde.com.

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