Issue 10
August 2017
BCSP Collegiate eNewsletter
 

Welcome to the BCSP Collegiate eNewsletter!

Whether you are a SH&E professor, student, or recent graduate, the Collegiate eNewsletter will include news and information that will help you in your professional safety career.

See the In This Issue section to the right to navigate to the stories of most interest to you.

Thank you to all who contributed to this issue.

Use Your Passion in Safety for Success
Shoji Nakayama, PhD, Associate Professor, Organizational Leadership and Supervision - Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), Department of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership at Purdue University Northwest   
 
Welcome back to another academic year! I hope each of you enjoyed the summer, whether you spent the time taking a break from academic obligations or working for an organization as a Safety, Health, and Environmental (SH&E) intern.

I'm sure each of you are excited about the upcoming semester and ready to graduate and become an SH&E professional quickly. While working toward the end result is important, it is also essential to focus on those tasks given in front of you. Although students would learn greatly upon entering the workforce, I would like to emphasize there are certain skill sets that must be learned while in school to aid your successful career.

You will need to know how to find useful information on the fly, go above-and-beyond of what was being asked, justify your responses or decisions, pay attention to a detail, be able to work as a team, be able to effectively communicate, be able to identify the best solution for a variety of issues, and be able to work with little guidance. These are some of examples of crucial skill sets.

Many of these skills sets are vital part of entering in this field, yet a company may not be able to train you in them. Being a student in Qualified Academic Program (QAP) institutions allows you to acquire such skill sets in conjunction with technical safety related knowledge.

While we use various technologies to keep us communicating, and keep business moving, we still socialize and work with other human beings every day. I believe most of us selected this field of study because we care about protecting people, our organizations, and the environment that we live in. Although we may not always be recognized, we do our job because it is the right thing to do, our dedication stemming from our passion.  

If you are reading this letter, I know each of you are already passionate about this field. Use that passion in your classes, not only to acquire basic SH&E knowledge, but also to consciously develop those essential skill sets that are critical to your professional success.

I'm very proud of each of you for selecting this discipline of Safety, Health, and the Environment to protect people, property and the environment. Have a great semester and keep that passion working for you
!

#ChooseSafety Video Contest
 
BCSP is seeking creative students with a passion for safety to participate in a video contest, sharing why youth and others considering education or career opportunities should #ChooseSafety. Cash prizes of $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000 are offered for the top submissions.
 
The contest is open to all students enrolled in Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®) QAPs. Videos should highlight why you entered your QAP degree program, your post-education career plans, and why obtaining the Certified Safety Professional ® (CSP ®) is important to your career.
 
Video submissions will be accepted September 1-October 13, 2017. Contest winners will be announced on November 1, 2017.
 
See the 2017 BCSP Video Competition flier for full details on video requirements, submission forms and details .

Select for full image

BCSP Launches QAP ABET, AABI Accreditation Gift Program  

To support the development of high-quality academic programs in SH&E, BCSP is now offering GSP QAPs gifts of up to $10,000 to go toward programs' accreditation or reaccreditation with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
 
"Accreditation is an important indicator of quality" says Dr. Treasa Turnbeaugh, CSP, ASP, CET, CAE, CEO of BCSP. "ABET and AABI are the top accrediting bodies in the engineering and aviation fields, and many GSP QAPs are accredited by these organizations. We believe that more QAPs could hold accreditation and are committed to support them in attaining it as part of our mission."
 
This gift program, initiated in July, is in addition to the $1,000 BCSP provides ABET or AABI accredited QAPs to help cover costs of retaining accreditation.
 
More information on BCSP QAP ABET/AABI Accreditation Support and other benefits of being a QAP can be found on the Qualified Academic Programs webpage

BCSP Encourages Youth to Choose Safety

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has initiated a campaign that shares information about the safety profession with young people, encouraging them to choose safety as an occupation.

Launched in conjunction with outreach at the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) July 2017 national conference, the new brochure, poster, and video address youth seeking information on education or career options.

In 2016, the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) established a working group to address a growing gap between the number of current safety professionals nearing retirement and new professionals entering safety practice. As the leader in defining and maintaining the technical competency standards for safety professionals, BCSP provided recommendations to NACOSH on how we can close the gap. The "Choose Safety" campaign is part of BCSP's continuing contribution to growing the profession.

"A career in safety combines great compensation with the personal satisfaction of protecting others' well-being," explains BCSP Government Affairs and Outreach Manager, Erica Poff, CAE, IOM. "It is not a profession many young people know about. Safety professionals know that, if we want a safer future, we must build it. We can start by introducing young people to this rewarding field of work."

BCSP will begin sharing new material promoting the safety profession on social media under the hashtag #ChooseSafety, spreading the message and encouraging engagement.

View and share the  Explore a Career in Safety brochure, the  Choose Safety poster, and the Choose Safety video .

Choose Safety
Choose Safety

Scholarship Opportunities     

Students enrolled in SH&E academic programs have access to many generous scholarships.
 
BCSP provides scholarships directly through GSP QAPs that hold ABET or AABI accreditation, and sponsors several other scholarships through member organizations' foundations.
 
If you are a student of an ABET- or AABI-accredited GSP QAP, you may be given the opportunity to apply for a $5,000 BCSP scholarship. To qualify, you must be a junior, senior, or Master's student and have a minimum of 3.0 cumulative grade point average. If your academic program participates, university faculty will provide you additional information and application requirements. Scholarship recipients are determined by October 15 and scholarships are awarded by the end of November.
 
Students may also qualify for many scholarships offered by the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Foundation, and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Education and Research Foundation, all of which offer BCSP-sponsored scholarships .

Changes to the GSP Program to Take Effect at End of Year      

There are several changes that will be made to the GSP program which affect graduates and future graduates of GSP QAPs.
  • Graduates who obtained their degree during the time-period prior to January 1, 2018 and fall within a QAP's "Applicable Dates", as noted on the on the BCSP QAP, List may apply for the GSP through January 1, 2020.
  • Those graduating on or after January 1, 2018, will have one year from their graduation date to apply for the GSP.
  • Those attaining the GSP on or after January 1, 2018 may hold the designation for a maximum of six (6) years.
These changes strengthen the connection of safety students to professional practice, as many QAP graduates recently surveyed reported finding work in the safety field within two years of graduation and their GSP designation gave them an employment advantage.
 
Changes such as these, and other important updates to BCSP certification processes, can be viewed in the Current Changes Index.

In This Issue
Send Us Your News

Consider the BCSP Collegiate
eNewsletter your eNewsletter.

This BC SP eNewsletter is currently published twice annually, at the beginning and end of each academic year.

If you have any SH&E education news ideas, contact Colan Holmes, BCSP Communications Manager.

Newsletters and Annual Reports Archive

BCSP keeps an archive of all of its eNewsletters and Annual Reports. You can view these and other publications in the About BCSP webpage's  resources column. 
 
BCSP Academic Database


BCSP maintains the Academic Database for those seeking the knowledge required to become a SH&E professional, looking to earn Recertification Points, or to stay knowledgeable of the latest developments in safety practice. 
 
Promote the Value of Your School 

If your academic program is a Qualified Academic Program, BCSP would like to work with you in making sure individuals seeking quality SH&E education know your school produces future leaders.

Contact Lisa Spencer, BCSP Marketing and Outreach Director, for more information.


BCSP's Toolkit for Advancing the Safety Profession

 
Banner displays are a great way to promote BCSP certifications and earn Recertification credit. A display is available to any certificate holder for use at chapter meetings, regional or local conferences, career fairs, and other safety-related seminars, meetings, and presentations. BCSP ships to and from any U.S. venue and provides literature at no cost.

If you would like to reserve a display, please fill out the Display and Literature Request Form. Displays are first come, first serve and must be returned.

Presentations on safety certification can also be done for Recertification points, and BCSP has many resources that can be used for presentations, including pre-made PowerPoints, on our Presentations and Outreach webpage.


 
 
 
BCSP Career Center

The BCSP Career Center connects job seekers with prospective employers in the safety, health and environmental industry. Results are just a click away!

The Career Center allows job seekers who hold any of our credentials to post an anonymous resume in our resume bank for free.

For companies looking to hire individuals who hold our credentials this is your direct route to qualified individuals.