Fourth Quarter 2020 eNewsletter
Message from the President of the Board
Mario A. Varela, CSP, ASP
Difficult times call on people to meet new challenges and this year it is safety professionals who were given tremendous responsibility. Many of us have been affected, professionally and personally, by the Coronavirus pandemic, which continues still. BCSP will continue to provide safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practitioners the tools required so that we may all not only persevere but thrive.

I often seek sources of inspiration when challenges arise and look forward to recognizing the positive impact model certificants have affected with the upcoming BCSP Awards of Excellence ceremony. This year’s awards event will be hosted virtually, which provides us the opportunity to reach a new audience. Please join us for the event and share it with others.

It is also encouraging to see that organizations value safety, as the results of the 2020 SH&E Industry Salary Survey demonstrate. The reputation of SH&E practitioners who hold certifications continues to distinguish them from those without. That reputation is built on results, and organizations are ready to invest in safety to their benefit.

Those of you who attended the Virtual Job Fair hosted by BCSP and the BCSP Foundation are sure to have noticed the career paths open to BCSP credential holders. We are glad to have provided access to those opportunities, the webinars, and other career-building tools.

BCSP advances safety not only by providing quality credentials recognized by industry leaders but by providing value to those who qualify for those credentials as well. For those seeking to become certificants, examCORE now offers exam preparation for all BCSP certifications. For those certificants who might have had difficulty demonstrating continuing professional development for recertification this year, we now offer recertPRO.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to lead as BCSP Board President because BCSP is a team of leaders. Our new Board Members and Officers are joined by BCSP staff, Ambassadors, volunteers, and credential holders who strive for accomplishment.

We are committed to the advancement of safety, health, and the environment. We are making a difference. We are BCSP.

BCSP Board of Directors
President
Mario A. Varela, CSP, ASP
Vice President
Joaquin M. Diaz, CSP, OHST, CHST
Treasurer
V. Raymond Ferrara, CFP
Past President
C. Christopher Patton, CSP, SMS, ASP
Directors
Teresa A. Cole, CSP
Ashok Garlapati, CSP
Jay R. Harf, CSP
Bruce K. Lyon, CSP, SMS
Regina McMichael, CSP, CIT
Daniel T. Lyons, CSP
Michael H. Overholt, CSP, OHST, CIT
Donald A. Robinson, CSP
Leslie Stockel, CSP, SMS
Study From the Source!
BCSP offers pre-exam trainings through BCSP examCORE. Trainings include CSP, ASP + CSP Connect, SMS, ASP, OHST, CHST, STS, STSC, and CIT. For more information, visit examcore.org.
BCSP Welcomes New Board Officers, Members
The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has selected new Board Members and Officers to guide the organization in 2021.

BCSP welcomes and looks forward to collaborating further with new Board Members Bruce D. Hollcroft, CSP and Patricia A. Kagerer, CSP.

In the next year, Joaquin M. Diaz, CSP, OHST, CHST will serve as Board President; Leslie Stockel, CSP, SMS was selected as Vice President; Mario A. Varela, CSP, ASP will serve as Past President; and V. Raymond Ferrara, CFP, will serve as Treasurer. These individuals will work together to serve BCSP and its certificants in 2021.

BCSP thanks Michael H. Overholt, CSP, OHST, CIT and C. Christopher Patton, CSP, SMS, ASP who conclude their time on the Board in 2020.
Visit BCSP's Affinity Products Page
As a BCSP credential holder you have access to exclusive products! Design custom BCSP Apparel in the BCSP store. Get unique pins and rings. Certificants further qualify for a 20% discount on first year financial planning services with CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional members of the Financial Planning Association®.
BCSP, NSC Release 2020 SH&E Salary Survey Results and Calculator
The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and the National Safety Council (NSC) have released the results of an expansive salary survey, analyzing responses from over 9,200 respondents to identify the typical salary and benefits of safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) professionals in an extensive report and online calculator.

The median base salary for full-time professionals was $98,000, with those holding at least one safety certification (CSP, SMS, ASP, OHST, CHST, STS, STSC, CIT, CIH, CHMM, CHMP, CDGP) typically earning over $20,000 more than those with none. The Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®) certification added $30,000 to the salary of a practitioner with no other credentials. Of the safety professionals surveyed, 46 percent held the CSP.
The BCSP Career Center connects job seekers with prospective employers in the safety, health, and environmental industry at no cost!

Posting open positions for companies looking to hire individuals who hold our credentials is also free. This site is your direct route to qualified individuals!
Award of Excellence Ceremony
The 2020 BCSP Awards of Excellence (AoE) recipients will be honored as part of a first-ever virtual ceremony on January 21, 2021, from 5-6 PM.

The ceremony will be presented using YouTube Premier, allowing participants to RSVP in advance. For a link to the event when it is ready, please sign up using the button below.

The BCSP Awards of Excellence (AoE) ceremony recognizes top CSPs, ASPs, OHSTs, CHSTs, STSs, and STSCs who best represent certificants’ outstanding leadership, knowledgeable expertise, and commitment to the advancement of the SH&E profession.
Subscribe to our eNewsletters!
BCSP offers unique eNewsletters:
BCSP Board Member Elected Vice President of INSHPO
BCSP Board Past President, C. Christopher Patton CSP, SMS, ASP, has been elected as the Vice President of the International Network of Safety and Health Professional Organisations (INSHPO).

INSHPO acts as a forum for international collaboration among professional organisations, including BCSP, to improve safety and health at work around the world.

"It is an honor to be named as Vice President of INSHPO, an organization I have held in reverence ever since I began my safety career," Patton says. "Being so intimately involved with two great organizations doing such tremendous work in the SH&E community is truly an honor. I will work hard to follow the mission of advancing the safety profession and making sure we do our best to protect workers every day."

"This is a culmination of the tremendous amount of dedication and hard work Chris has put into his efforts as a safety professional," says BCSP's Interim CEO, Christy Uden, CAE, IOM. "It is an honor to have him as part of the BCSP organization, and we are tremendously proud and thankful for his contributions."

BCSP collaborated with INSHPO and other member organizations in the development of the OHS Professional Capability Framework, providing greater clarity around the generalist OHS professional role for application in interaction SH&E practice. Our continuing work will advance safety globally.
BCSP's Toolkit for Advancing the Profession
Banner displays and literature are a great way to promote BCSP certifications and earn recertification credit. A display is available to any certificant for use at chapter meetings, regional or local conferences, career fairs, and other safety-related seminars, meetings, and presentations. If you would like to reserve a display or request literature, fill out a Banner Display Request.
We Are BCSP: Inspiring a Safer World
We set out to enhance careers, advance the safety profession, and protect people. Meet the diverse group of BCSP credential holders that put our mission into practice in our new “We Are BCSP” video.
Unauthorized Use of Our Credentials
BCSP pursues cases of individuals claiming to hold our credentials without permission. We pursue those cases in which there is clear evidence of the unauthorized use and the individual has a clear responsibility, control, or knowledge of the use. Evidence may be a business card, resume, letter, website, or other publication. Report Unauthorized Use | Find Unauthorized Use on the Certificant Directory
Thank You to Those That Joined the First BCSP Foundation Virtual Career Fair
The BCSP Foundation 2020 Virtual Career Fair was a success! While we wish we could have provided an in-person environment for employers and attendees to meet, by hosting a career fair in a virtual environment, we had 680 registered attendees engaged in 4,771 booth visits. Additionally, there were 309 applications submitted to the 26 employers available through the platform!

For all those that attended, we hope you enjoyed the experience and were able to make valuable connections during the fair. For those who weren’t able to attend, we hope to see you and everyone else next year!

Be sure to stay up-to-date on what the BCSP Foundation and BCSP are doing to support you and your SH&E careers by visiting the links below, and look for more information on the Foundation's second career fair in March, 2021!
Current Changes Index
Over the course of the year, a range of policy changes, procedure updates, and other modifications occur. We want to make everyone aware of these changes on a regular basis, as well as keep an archive of the announcements. 

Visit the Current Changes Index page on our website to find the most up-to-date policy and procedure information.
Changes to the GSP and TSP Application Process
In an effort to simplify the application and renewal processes for the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) and the Transitional Safety Practitioner (TSP), the BCSP Board has approved the removal of the prorated annual renewal fee that is assessed when GSPs and TSPs receive their designation.

This change is effective January 1, 2021.

With this change, we hope to simplify the process of attaining the designation by eliminating the prorated renewal fee due upon issue of the GSP/TSP and instead implementing a $25 application fee. This will save recipients of the GSP/TSP up to $100!

Information about the application process is available on the website at BCSP.org.
Share Events With Us
Have an upcoming job fair, conference, or chapter meeting that you would like to share with readers? Would you like to invite a BCSP representative to attend an event? We would like to hear about it!

Submit information on upcoming events using our new Event Request Form.
BCSP Unveils New Exam Development Webpage
Have you ever wondered how you can participate in activities that help us develop and update our certifications' examinations? We now have a webpage on BCSP.org dedicated to answering those questions!

On our new Exams Development webpage, you can find a breakdown of our panel activities including job and task analysis, item writing, and passing score activities. You will also find instruction videos detailing the overall exam development process and a more in-depth explanation of the activities, links to sign up for panel activities, and a photo album of recent panel groups!
Presentations on safety certification can be done for recertification credit! BCSP has many resources available for certificants to use during presentations, including pre-made PowerPoints, role delineation studies and technical reports, and videos.

These resources can be found on our Presentations and Outreach webpage.
Tis the Season...For a BCSP Holiday Video!
Our Digital Strategy and Marketing teams are hard at work creating a wide array of videos ranging from those on examination development to designation and certification videos that explain each of our 10 credentials and their benefits. Amongst all the hustle and bustle, they found time to create this fun holiday video! You can view all of our videos on our YouTube page and at BCSP.org.

From everyone at BCSP, we wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy holiday!
Share your digital badge!
Digital badges prominently display achievement of a BCSP certification or designation and are available for use across social media platforms, email, and websites.
Login to your My Profile page and select "My Badge(s)" from the menu to access your digital badge!
FOLLOW US