7 Steps to

Becoming a CSP

2301 W. Bradley Avenue, Champaign, IL 61821 USA

P: +1 217-359-9263 | F: +1 217-359-0055
www.bcsp.org
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Advancing the Safety, Health and Environmental
Professional Since 1969
Certied Safety Professional

has been in operation for more than
40 years with 25,000 CSPs certied
is the premier certication in
the safety profession
covers a wide range of safety,
health and environmental practice
disciplines
Occupational Health and Safety
Technologist

provides practitioners with partial
responsibility in SH&E with a high
quality certication
Construction Health and Safety
Technician

ofers a certication for individuals

who work in a construction craft or
are construction safety specialists
Safety Trained Supervisor

provides a quality certication
for work group leaders who are
responsible for the safety and health
of their workers and who are not
safety and health specialists
is a leading indicator of safety
performance
has led to reductions in injuries and
workers compensation claims and
has created productivity gains in
participating companies
Certied Environmental, Safety and
Health Trainer

a certication held by those
with experience and expertise in
developing, designing, and delivering
safety, health and environmental
training
BCSP Certications
When choosing a certication it is important to verify whether
it holds accreditation through independent, third-party
evaluations. The organizations below list the certication
bodies holding their accreditation:
American National Standards Institute (ANSI),
www.ansi.org
[ISO/IEC 17024, General Requirements for Bodies
Operating Certication Systems of Persons]
National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA),
www.credentialingexcellence.org
Council of Engineering and Scientic Specialty Boards
(CESB), www.cesb.org
About BCSP
BCSP is recognized as the leader in high-
quality credentialing for safety, health, and
environmental practitioners. BCSP establishes
standards for and veries competency in
professional safety practice and evaluates
certicants for compliance with recertication
requirements. BCSP also operates technician,
technologist, and supervisory SH&E certications
that provide additional career paths for safety
practitioners.
Since 1969, over 40,000 individuals have
achieved the CSP, OHST, CHST, STS or CET
credential. BCSP is a non-prot corporation
chartered in Illinois, with headquarters in
Champaign.
Career Information
For details on careers in safety, health and
environmental, download from the BCSP
website:
Career Guide to the Safety Profession
(booklet)
Career Paths in Safety (brochure)
For a comprehensive list of U.S. academic
programs, search the BCSP Academic Database.
If you have questions, please email us:
bcsp@bcsp.org
Do You Have Enough Experience?
CSP candidates must have professional safety
experience considered acceptable by BCSP:
1. Professional safety must be the primary function
of the position.
2. The positions primary responsibility must be
the prevention of harm to people, property, and
the environment, rather than responsibility for
responding to harmful events.
3. Professional safety functions must be at least 50%
of the position duties.
4. The position must be at the professional level.
5. The position must have breadth of professional
safety duties.
Candidates may substitute advanced degrees and/
or the Occupational Health and Safety Technologist
(OHST) or Construction Health and Safety Technician
(CHST) certications for part of the experience
requirement.
Send In Your Application
BCSP reviews application materials determining
eligibility for both the ASP and CSP examinations.
Unless waived, candidates must rst pass the ASP
examination and meet education/experience standards
before becoming eligible for the CSP Exam.
BCSP uses a point system to determine eligibility
for examinations. Your total points are the sum of
your academic points and your experience points.
A candidate must have at least 48 points to sit for
the ASP examination and 96 points to sit for the CSP
examination.
Purchase Your Exam
Becoming a CSP is usually a two exam process.
Anytime during the eligibility period, candidates may
register and pay for their applicable examination (ASP
or CSP).
BCSP noties candidates how long they have to
schedule and sit for their examination.
Candidates qualifying for the Graduate Safety
Practitioner (GSP) designation and some candidates
who have been examined through other acceptable
credentialing programs, and currently hold such
credentials, may be granted a waiver of the ASP
Examination. Those who receive a waiver of the ASP
examination do not receive and cannot use the ASP
title.
You may purchase an examination at any time, as long
as you are eligible. BCSP will notify the examination
service you are an eligible candidate and also inform
you how long you have to make an appointment and
complete your examination.
Sit For Your Exam
BCSPs examination provider has hundreds of test
centers located around the world which are open every
business day (some also have weekend and holiday
hours). Examinations are delivered via computer at the
test center. As soon as candidates submit their exam,
results are available.
Candidates who fail may purchase a new examination
authorization through BCSP, if still eligible.
Maintain Your Certication
After completing all of the requirements, BCSP
will award candidates who pass the ASP exam
the temporary Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
designation. The interim ASP designation is awarded
on an annual basis and those holding this designation
must pay an annual fee in order to retain the use. An
annual fee also applies to those who pass the CSP
exam and earn the CSP credential. CSPs must remain
up-to-date with changes in professional practice by
earning 25 Recertication points every ve (5) years.
For more information on Recertication points, visit our
website at www.bcsp.org.
BCSP also maintains a list of third-party review and
examination preparation service providers at
www.bcsp.org/Sources.
What do I have to do
to become a CSP?
One of the most common questions by potential
candidates is What do I need to do to become a
CSP? The CSP process has several stages, each one
building on the other, to create a knowledgeable safety
professional.
Are You Eligible?
First thing potential candidates need to do is determine
application eligibility. Filling out the Am I Eligible For
The Certied Safety Professional Certication? Test
helps assess qualications. The test can be found
at www.bcsp.org. In addition, its recommended to
review the CSP Application Guide for more detailed
information.

Do You Have An Accredited Degree?
There is no waiver of the academic requirement
and proof of a minimum qualifying degree must
be provided. For U.S. degrees, BCSP requires the
educational institution hold institutional accreditation
recognized by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of
Education. Unaccredited degrees are disqualied.
The degree must be awarded during the period of
accreditation.
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