The Board of Certified Safety Professionals’ (BCSP) 2018 Annual Report has been released. As safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practice changes, advancement of the profession requires adaptation, collaboration, and innovation. BCSP demonstrated its dedication to these principles with our many accomplishments in 2018.
Recognizing the growth of SH&E knowledge, BCSP “raised the bar” by requiring candidates for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) to have a bachelor’s degree, keeping CSPs at the forefront of SH&E practice. We also introduced the Transitional Safety Practitioner (TSP), a temporary designation that identifies specific, qualified equivalent programs’ value and provides a path to the CSP.
BCSP closed 2018 with 49,646 active credentials, up nearly 10,000 from 2016, and awarded 7,768 credentials throughout the year.
Keeping in tune with our dedication to investing in the future of SH&E, BCSP awarded scholarships to nine students selected by the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation, the American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation, and the Associated General Contractors of America Education and Research Foundation. The BCSP Foundation also provided $217,000 to Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®) Qualified Academic Programs (QAP), funding programs’ accreditation through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), as well as providing student scholarships.
BCSP’s dedication to accountability was realized, as our goal of having all eight BCSP certifications gain ANSI accreditation was achieved. ANSI now attests to the sound development, validity, and integrity of all eight BCSP certifications.
The 2018 SH&E Industry Salary Survey indicated that the value of BCSP certification is increasingly recognized, demonstrating that individuals with at least one certification typically earn $20,000 more per year than those without certification.
The importance of partnerships was also reflected in our 2018 accomplishments. BCSP allied with OSHA and signed memoranda of understanding with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) and United States Army Combat Readiness Center (USACRC). The latter organization’s Professional Certificate in Safety and Occupational Health (CP-12 Certificate) was recognized as qualifying for the TSP as a pathway to the CSP.
In addition, BCSP joined the Professional Certification Coalition (PCC) to better reach policymakers and educate them on legislation, ordinances, and/or regulations that affect certificants. In 2018, the coalition protected the value and recognition of voluntary professional certifications in several instances where proposed legislation would have undermined their use.
“It is and will always be BCSP’s mission to advance the safety profession,” said BCSP CEO Treasa M. Turnbeaugh PhD, MBA, CSP, ASP, CET, CAE, IOM. “2018 was a tremendous year in terms of executing that mission and we now have our sights set on making 2019 BCSP’s best year yet.”
More details on BCSP’s accomplishments and the growth in certification can be read in the BCSP 2018 Annual Report.