The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential is a professional designation accredited by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). The CSP credential has been in operation for over 40 years and since its inception over 25,000 professionals have become CSP certified. A CSP is a person who performs professional level safety duties at least 50% of the time. These duties range from making worksite assessments to determine risks, assessing potential hazards and controls, evaluating risks and hazard control measures, investigating incidents, maintaining and evaluating incident and loss records, and preparing emergency response plans.
Other duties of CSPs may include hazard recognition, fire protection, regulatory compliance, health hazard control, ergonomics, hazardous materials management, environmental protection, training, accident and incident, investigations, advising management, record keeping, emergency response, managing safety programs, product safety and/or security.
Am I Eligible to Become a CSP?
All CSP candidates must meet certain educational, experiential, and credential requirements before sitting for the CSP exam. Browse the following requirements to ensure your eligibility for this BCSP-approved credential.
Education Background
Applicants must meet one of the following educational requirements to sit for the CSP exam:
- Bachelor's degree in any field
- Associate's degree in any relevant health, safety, or environmental (HSE) field
Safety Experience In order to sit for the CSP exam, all candidates must have 4 years of prior professional safety experience.
BCSP Credentials
At the time of application, all CSP candidates must hold one of the following credentials:
- Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
- Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP)
- Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)
- Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH)
- Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)
- Professional Member of Singapore Institution of Safety Officers (SISO)
- Diploma in Industrial Safety by Government of India
What Are the Next Steps?
Review the areas of eligibility above and ensure that you have met all prerequisites for the CSP exam. If you do not meet all of these requirements you can either continue your studies and experience to work up to the CSP requirements or you can look at one of the other health and safety certifications that the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has to offer.
If you meet the requirements, you are eligible to apply and sit for the CSP certification exam. Many potential CSPs enroll in training courses to better prepare them for their upcoming CSP exam. If you are interested in preparing for the CSP exam through a training course, browse health and safety courses!
Retaining the CSP Certification
Upon successful completion and passing of the CSP exam, all professionals must remain active to keep their designation. In order to remain eligible and up to date in their certification, CSP professionals must pay an annual renewal fee and earn 25 recertification points every 5 years. These points can be earned by fulfilling activities outlined by BCSP's recertification guide.