Safety Professional's Reference and Study Guide

W. David Yates

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351231398
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Environmental Science
• Index: Biological Sciences

While there are numerous technical resources available, often you have to search through a plethora of them to find the information you use on a daily basis. And maintaining a library suitable for a comprehensive practice can become quite costly. The new edition of a bestseller, Safety Professional's Reference and Study Guide, Second Edition provides a single-source reference that contains all the information required to handle the day-to-day tasks of a practicing industrial hygienist.

New Chapters in the Second Edition cover:

• Behavior-based safety programs

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• Safety auditing procedures and techniques

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• Environmental management

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• Measuring health and safety performance

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• OSHA's laboratory safety standard

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• Process safety management standard

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• BCSPs Code of Ethics

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The book provides a quick desk reference as well as a resource for preparations for the Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), and the Construction Health and Safety Technologist (CHST) examinations. A collection of information drawn from textbooks, journals, and the author's more than 25 years of experience, the reference provides, as the title implies, not just a study guide but a reference that has staying power on your library shelf.

1

The Safety Profession and Preparing for the ASP/CSP Exam

The safety profession has a long and distinguished history tracing back to Hammurabi (ca. 1728–1686 BC), who was the sixth king of Babylon. Hammurabi is best known for his codification of laws, which included some, if not the first, set of worker’s compensation laws known. The safety profession has greatly changed since the days of Hammurabi. On December 29, 1970, Public Law 91-596 (The Williams–Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) was signed into law. This legislation focused on controlling workplace hazards and ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes. Under the Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created within the Department of Labor. The passage of this legislation highlighted the need for educated and knowledgeable professionals in the area of safety and health. Over the past 39 years, the safety profession has matured, as evidenced by universities offering undergraduate and advanced degrees in safety and health, placement of safety professionals at the highest levels of management, and certification of safety professionals. Today’s safety profession requires a broad range of knowledge, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, business, and management. Your decision to become a candidate for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation is an important step in your professional career. This book is written to assist you in achieving that ultimate designation as a safety professional.

Board of Certified Safety Professionals

NOTE: Information provided in this section is derived from the “Safety Fundamentals Examination Guide, Fifth Edition, April 2008.” This information is derived from copyrighted materials that are owned by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) was organized in 1969 as a peer certification board. Its purpose is to certify practitioners in the safety profession. The specific functions of the Board are to

• Evaluate the academic and professional experience qualifications of safety professionals

• Administer examinations

• Issue certifications to those professionals who meet the Board’s criteria and successfully pass required examinations

In 1968, the American Society of Safety Engineers studied the issue of certification for safety professionals and recommended the formation of a professional certification program. This recommendation led to establishing BCSP in July 1969. The BCSP governing Board consists of 13 directors who represent the breadth and depth of safety, health, and environmental practice, as well as the public. Six of the directors are nominated to a pool by professional membership organizations affiliated with BCSP. The professional membership organizations currently affiliated with BCSP are the following:

• American Industrial Hygiene Association

• American Society of Safety Engineers

• Institute of Industrial Engineers

• National Fire Protection Association

• National Safety Council

• Society of Fire Protection Engineers

• System Safety Society

BCSP has issued the CSP credential to more than 20,000 people and more than 11,000 currently maintain their certification.

The CSP credential meets or exceeds the highest national and international accreditation and personnel certification standards for certification bodies. International Accreditation is ISO/IEC 17024 and National Accreditation is the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Definitions

NOTE: The definitions in this section are derived from the “Safety Fundamentals Examination Guide, Fifth Edition, April 2008.” These definitions are derived from copyrighted materials that are owned by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

A safety professional is one who applies the expertise gained from a study of safety science, principles, practices, and other subjects from professional safety experience to create or develop procedures, processes, standards, specifications, and systems to achieve optimal control or reduction of the hazards and exposures that may harm people, property, or the environment.

Professional safety experience, as interpreted by BCSP, must be the primary function of a position and account for at least 50% of the position’s responsibility. Professional safety experience involves analysis, synthesis, investigation, evaluation, research, planning, design, administration, and consultation to the satisfaction of peers, employers, and clients in the prevention of harm to people, property, and the environment. Professional safety experience differs from nonprofessional experience in the degree of responsible charge and the ability to defend analytical approaches and recommendations for engineering or administrative controls.

A Certified Safety Professional or CSP is a safety professional who has met and continues to meet all requirements established by BCSP and is authorized by BCSP to use the Certified Safety Professional title and the CSP credential.

An Associate Safety Professional or ASP is a temporary designation awarded by BCSP. This designation describes an individual who has met the academic requirements for the CSP credential and has passed the Safety Fundamentals Examination, the first of two examinations leading to the CSP credential.

A Graduate Safety Practitioner or GSP is a temporary designation awarded by BCSP. This designation describes an individual who has graduated from an independently accredited academic program meeting BCSP’s standards.

Minimum Qualifications to Sit for the CSP Examination

The minimum qualifications to sit for the CSP examination include academic requirements, professional safety experience requirements, successfully passing the ASP (or obtain a waiver), and CSP examinations. BCSP uses a point system for determining eligibility to sit for the examinations. To qualify for the ASP examination, you must have a total of 48 points. The CSP examination qualification requires a total of 98 points. The following details are only a summary of the requirements. Should you have specific questions on requirements, you can visit http://www.bcsp.org.

Academic Requirements

Academic requirements to obtain the CSP credential includes a bachelor’s degree or higher in any field or an associate degree in safety and health. The degree(s) must have been awarded from an accredited university or institution. Unaccredited degrees will not be accepted to satisfy the academic requirements.

Professional Safety Experience Requirements

Professional safety experience is required to qualify for the ASP/CSP credential. The exact number of years depends on the level of education. All professional safety experience claimed on the application must meet all five of the following criteria to be acceptable by the BCSP:

• Professional safety must be the primary function of the position.

• Primary responsibility of the position must be the prevention of harm to people, property, or the environment, rather than responsibility for responding to harmful events.

• Professional safety functions must be at least 50% of the position duties.

• The position must be at the professional level, which is determined by the degree of responsibility.

• The position must have breadth of professional safety duties.

ASP Process

The process of earning the interim ASP designation is summarized as follows:

• Complete and submit application materials (requires application fee).

• Receive evaluation and letter of authorization from BCSP to take the Safety Fundamentals Examination.

• Register to take the Safety Fundamentals Examination (examination fee required).

• Make an appointment to take your examination at a test center near you, and sit for the examination at the scheduled time.

• Complete all requirements for the ASP credential. Once you pass the examination, BCSP will award your ASP credential.

• Pay an annual renewal fee to BCSP (fee varies).

CSP Process

The process for earning the CSP credential is summarized as follows:

• Complete and submit application materials (requires application fee).

• Receive evaluation and letter of authorization from BCSP to take the Comprehensive Practice Examination.

• Register to take the Comprehensive Practice Examination (examination fee required).

• Make an appointment to take your examination at a test center near you, and sit for the examination at the scheduled time.

• Complete all requirements for the CSP credential. Once you pass the examination, BCSP will award your CSP credential.

• Pay an annual renewal fee to BCSP (fee varies).

Safety Fundamentals Examination Blueprint

There are four domains on the Safety Fundamentals Examination, which represent the major areas of practice for safety professionals at the ASP level. Within each domain are knowledge topics. These domains and topics are listed below.

Domain 1: ...