The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a certification offered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). The CSP is accredited in the United States by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and internationally by the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC 17024) (see ANSI).
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The requirements to become a CSP are:
CSPs are further required to provide BCSP with proof that they are maintaining a high level of competency in safety work by recertifying every five years.
About the Board
The BCSP was established in 1969 based on recommendations from a study performed by the American Society of Safety Engineers. Eight professional organizations are affiliated with the BCSP; they are:
On September 26, 2003, BCSP signed an alliance with the United States' Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental, and Safety Technologists (CCHEST) to collaborate on training, education, outreach, and advocacy.
On December 31, 2008, BCSP acquired CCHEST and its multiple safety certifications.
In July, 2011, BCSP acquired the Certified Environmental, Safety and Health Trainer Board of Certifications (CETBOC) from the National Environmental Safety and Health Training Association (NESHTA).
BCSP
BCSP currently offers a full set of accredited safety certifications, representative of a range of safety responsibilities, in addition to the CSP. These include the Associate Safety Professional (ASP); Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST); Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST); Safety Trained Supervisor (STS); Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC); and Certified Environmental, Safety & Health Trainer (CET) certifications.
These programs are nationally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), require specific combinations of knowledge and experience, as well as successful demonstration of safety competency through examination. As with the CSP, those who hold these certifications must continue to prove competency to maintain the credential they have earned, but recertification requirements vary.