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BCSP's future headquarters

 

BCSP is proud to support SH&E students who show dedication to developing their knowledge and contributing to the profession. BCSP funds two $5,000 scholarships through the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF) and two more through the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Foundation, in addition to those we contribute to through the Associated General Contractors (AGC). Teniope Adewumi, Daniel Johnson, Kelsey Smith, and Tanner Neese are our 2016 AIHF and ASSE Foundation scholarship recipients.

 

" Words cannot express my excitement and gratitude when I first learned I had received the AIHF-BCSP scholarship. Through the financial generosity of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals I will be able to further my doctoral education as a safety researcher and professional. Following graduation I intend to continue working in research to bring workplace health and safety to under-served worker groups and improve workplace safety policies."


"I was very surprised when I got the scholarship because I know there are so many people that apply for this. Then I was very happy to be honored with this because it would almost completely pay for my last semester of college. It was a huge relief and it made me feel like all of the hard work and extra time I put into my schoolwork was being recognized. In August I will be finished with my internship at Phillips 66 and that will mark the end of my college career. I hope that, with the knowledge and skills I acquired from IUP and my internships, that I can work with other safety professionals and continue to grow and build upon the foundation I have started."

Despite progress made over 20 years of process safety measure implementation in the United States, significant process safety incidents have taken place in the last five years. Where highly hazardous chemicals are stored or handled, there exists the potential for enormous harm. Past incidents have resulted in billions of dollars in financial losses, tens of millions of dollars in fines, many workers injured, and cost some workers everything: their lives. Where professional certification can support process safety management, certificants can assist in preventing catastrophic process safety incidents.

Training and employee engagement are integral components of process safety management, as highlighted in OSHA's Process Safety Management as well as the Center for Chemical Process Safety's Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety. BCSP certifications require demonstrated competence of current safe work practices, and the Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) and Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC) certifications are used by many organizations to encourage front-line supervisors' active engagement in occupational safety and health processes.

Charles Soderquist CHST, OHST, STS, CET, Regional Safety Manager from MYR Group, explains the value he sees in BCSP certifications like the STS and STSC. "Those individuals within the company who have obtained STS certification have been provided with valuable direction in the development of safety programs that have not only been adopted company-wide and used on a daily basis, but have also generated positive results and industry recognition regarding their success at keeping our people safe and aware," says Soderquist.

Soderquist, like many others, not only use BCSP certifications to ensure safety competency and engage others, they have also contributed to the certification's design through participation in job task analysis panels and surveys. BCSP, with the participation of hundreds of certified safety professionals, test assessors, and certification experts, defines criteria essential in safe operations based on real needs identified by safety leaders.

While knowledgeable and engaged supervisors support process safety, dedicated safety professionals are essential in connecting all the elements that keep a workplace operating without incident. For this reason, the Associate Safety Professional (ASP) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certifications include in their blueprints knowledge of chemical process management. Safety is a team effort.

"The Certified Safety Professional is the only internationally accredited environmental, safety, and health certification that demonstrates a high level of competency in the principles necessary for effective process safety management practice," says Michael Larrañaga, PhD, CSP, CIH, PE, recent member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Certification provides organizations a method to ensure competent safety practice and build sustainable safety leadership. BCSP's accredited family of safety certifications are an essential tool in building a comprehensive process safety management program .

 

BCSP's Business Development Director, Rixio Medina, CSP, ASP, STS, was elected to the office of ASSE Senior Vice President earlier this year, and took office on July 1, 2016.
 
"I am honored by my ASSE colleagues with an opportunity to serve the Society, its members and the profession," Medina says. "To meet current, and future, U.S. and global challenges we need to, and will, continue developing qualified safety professionals, advance in effective risk management and in prevention through design."
 
Medina holds a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering from Oklahoma State University (OSU), where he was recognized as Distinguished Alumni by the OSU Alumni Association in 2009 and inducted into the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) Hall of Fame in 2013. He holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Security from the University of Central Missouri (UCM). He is an ASSE Fellow.
 
With over 36 years' experience in safety, Medina has contributed to the protection of people and property both on worksites and through extensive volunteerism. He was appointed by the President of the United States to serve on the US Chemical Safety Board and by the Secretary of Labor as a safety professional representative on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) in 2010. Medina served on BCSP's Board of Directors and was Board President in 2013 .

Find resources resulting from our international outreach on our International Safety Certification webpage.

BCSP's 2015 Annual Report has been released. The report highlights major accomplishments from 2015 and illustrates impressive growth of interest in and achievement of safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) certifications.

BCSP has organized a diverse panel of subject matter experts that will define the requirements of a new SH&E management certification. The panel will meet for the first time this month and outline the knowledge and skills their industries require of senior safety managers.

Various stakeholders have highlighted a need for a quality certification that includes safety skills, management aspects, and recognition of experience. There was a gap identified between the professional and technician/technologist levels, represented by the CSP and ASP certifications and the OHST and CHST, and this new certification completes the spectrum of those responsible for safety throughout an organization.

Further details will be forthcoming as industry needs are assessed, including the certification's requirements and its examination blueprint.

It is BCSP's goal to offer a comprehensive set of quality, accredited certifications that both complement one another and support safety as a team effort.

The CSP, OHST, CHST and STS have been reaccredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), and the ASP and STSC certifications achieved accreditation from NCCA for the first time as standalone certifications.