I recently had the honor of recognizing several accomplished BCSP certificants at our 2015 Awards of Excellence ceremony, celebrating their achievements with hundreds of other safety professionals. It was a pleasure to meet these distinguished individuals, and a joy to be joined by so many others who share an appreciation for their contributions. Together we expressed our determination to advance our profession.

As the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) profession continues to develop, BCSP is committed to providing new and aspiring safety professionals the information and knowledge of these pioneers before them. In addition to announcing our award recipients, BCSP also named our scholarship winners for the upcoming academic year. It is exciting to see our young professionals continue on the path of excellence in SH&E.

BCSP is well prepared for the future, with our safety certifications being an important part of the career path to safety professionalism. Our Certification Management System (CMS) that we launched in 2014 has created new opportunities in user services and global outreach. This program, and several other initiatives outlined in our 2014 Annual Report, resulted in a record number of individuals becoming certified. We can expect this trend to continue as the CMS provides additional tools useful to safety professionals and certificants.

With increased recognition of the value of safety certification, we see that value reflected in the compensation received by individuals who have achieved certification. Earlier this year, BCSP collaborated with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP), American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), and Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM) to conduct our largest salary survey to date. The results of this survey will soon be released as part of the SH&E Industry Safety Salary Survey and Calculator.

So many of the projects with which BCSP is involved clearly demonstrate that by putting forth our best effort we build a better future for both professionals and the profession. I hope that you join us in building this future.

 

Any work performed at height requires safety be considered in design, especially when you have colleagues who may be orbiting the Earth at a height exceeding 200 miles. The risk involved in space flight requires incredibly proactive safety professionals.

Kathryn Packard, CSP, continues to advance safety alongside the advancement of space travel. She is the Technology Infusion Manager for Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. "I have had the honor to work for this amazing agency for 22 years," says Packard. "I am so lucky to be able to contribute on some level in the prevention process that will one day lead us safely to Mars and beyond."

After reviewing the BCSP archives, we found Packard was the first woman at NASA JSC to receive her CSP. She passed both examinations on her first try. "I was so proud that I propped my certification up on my coffee table, opened a bottle of champagne, and spurted the champagne all over it," Packard recalls. "The next day, the wonderful lady on the phone at BCSP got a good laugh and promptly mailed me a replacement."

Kathryn Packard, CSP (right) with her daughter, Captain Julie Adams, USAF JAG (left), at the Apollo 40th Celebration, Washington D.C.

The career path leading to Packard's role in this JSC "first" is made of other rewarding accomplishments, awards, and firsts itself.

In addition to her achieving the CSP, Packard has received two Superior Accomplishment Awards and a Silver Snoopy, an award given personally by NASA astronauts "In Appreciation.... For professionalism, dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success." Tom Jones, NASA Astronaut, wrote to Packard: "Your successful completion of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Safety Review revealed a potential catastrophic hazard when SRTM was venting nitrogen gas into the cargo bay. Your timely and dedicated leadership led to a venting solution which saved resources for both the customer and NASA."

From launch to landing, prevention through design is incredibly important. In the 1990s, Packard served as Safety Advisor on two NASA mishap boards, one led by Captain David Walker, USN and the other by Captain Robert "Hoot" Gibson, USN, both NASA Shuttle Commanders. "Neither of the mishaps resulted in injury, and we were able to determine root cause and implement corrective measures that, to this day, have enhanced safety at JSC," Packard explains. Everything must be considered before the shuttle launches and the crew must make do with only what is on board until its return.

In the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, Packard led one of the many mishap teams. "I handpicked my team and we worked long hours for five months," says Packard. During a fault tree exercise, the team discovered a potential hazard in the design of one of the shuttles' bolt catchers. "The bolt catcher was redesigned to catch all possible shrapnel directly after launch, and all subsequent shuttle flights flew without incident," Packard explained. "I owe much to Stephen Bauder, who was the United Space Alliance contractor safety lead on our team, and who now works for NASA on the new Exploration Systems Development (ESD)."

Packard continues to advocate safety in design as part of NASA's SBIR/STTR team, "working with technologists, small businesses, and universities to help mitigate the dangers and challenges inherent to space travel." Her work will support the future mission to Mars - A mission that can only be accomplished with safety at top of mind.  

 

L-R: Treasa Turnbeaugh, PhD, CSP, ASP, CET, Chief Executive Officer of BCSP; Michael Larrañaga, PhD, CSP, P.E.; Margaret Carroll, CSP, P.E.; David McKinney, OHST; Clinton Wolfley, CSP, CHST, STS; and Cece Weldon, CSP, CHST, STSC, President of the BCSP Board of Directors.

 

Four SH&E students have been selected for BCSP scholarships. Receiving BCSP-funded American Industrial Hygiene Foundation scholarships are Jayson Clinger and Josh Reed. Logan Chavis and Pallavi Thadhani are BCSP's ASSE Foundation scholars.
 

"I am deeply thankful and honored to have received the BCSP scholarship.... I plan to complete my undergraduate degree, continue to complete my Master's degree, and - after gaining experience - I hope to get my PhD. I hope that I will have the opportunity to inspire and pass along my experiences to future generations." Jayson Clinger

"Scholarships are investments in young careers.... The investment return from this scholarship is assisting a young man striving to achieve his ultimate career objective of becoming a distinguished safety professional so that others will have a better quality of life." Josh Reed

"When I found out about my scholarship, I felt excited and blessed. This scholarship takes away some of the financial burden of graduate school and allows me to spend more time focusing on school than work." Logan Chavis

"When I received the notification that I was the winner of the BCSP Scholarship I was absolutely thrilled and felt honored to be the recipient of this scholarship. I look forward to being a Certified Safety Professional within three to five years after graduating with my Master's degree in Occupational Safety and Health from Murray State University in December 2015." Pallavi Thadhani

 

BCSP looks forward to the new ideas these SH&E students bring to the profession, and wish them the best in reaching their goals.  

 

What is it like to be certified? As part of the #CertifiedtoProtect campaign, BCSP interviewed a few certificants to understand how they value safety certification.

Connect and share your story on social media using #CertifiedtoProtect.  

 

The BCSP Recertification Quiz Program has been updated to better provide certificants a way to earn Recertification Points through their demonstration of dedication to SH&E knowledge.

Available online at quiz.bcsp.org, the quizzes cover content found in well-circulated membership organization journals, including Professional Safety and Safety + Health.

Certificants who would like to take an online quiz must first create a unique account for the new quiz system, after which they can register for quizzes based on specific issues of the journals offered. The new quiz system places no time limit on the person taking a quiz, which can be closed and resumed at any time by logging in and visiting the "My Quizzes" page. The quiz results are sent to user's emails, and are important to keep so as to account for Recertification Points later.

Visit quiz.bcsp.org to test your knowledge and earn Recertification points.

 

BCSP maintains its status as the "gold standard" in safety certification by regularly studying, reviewing, and updating its certifications' examinations for validity and reliability.

It is important BCSP exams reflect current knowledge and skills required to keep people safe in the industries where its certifications are to be used. To ensure the exams accomplish this, BCSP enlists the support of certificants who qualify as subject matter experts and leads a review of its exams' blueprints every few years.

This panel of experts proposes changes to an exam's blueprint and serves as the pilot group for a certification's job analysis. BCSP sends a final job analysis survey to certificants for feedback on the importance, criticality, and frequency of the SH&E knowledge and tasks.

The results of these jobs task analyses form BCSP's exam blueprints, which include the domains and tasks covered in each exam.

When a new exam blueprint is outlined, new items (questions) must then be created. BCSP is grateful to have certificants join us in the item writing process, a process recently updated to make participation possible via online web meetings.

New items are reviewed and validated by BCSP's panel of subject matter experts and a third-party psychometrician, after which they are tested in a beta exam.

The results of beta exams undergo thorough scrutiny and further psychometric analysis. The time it takes to conduct the analysis of a new examination varies, as it is very important to exam accuracy.

Psychometric analysis determines items' reliability and validity, finding poorly worded questions or those that are too easy. It also ensures that exam candidates are treated equally, so that the only difference between a person who passes and a person who fails is their knowledge.

New exams are finally constructed at the conclusion of beta testing and the resulting review process. Items found to be valid during the beta exam are included in a distribution matching the exam's blueprint.

Throughout the delivery of certification examinations, important data that can be used to confirm exam validity is constantly gathered and reviewed at least annually.

If you are interested in the development of exams, ensuring they reflect current industry practices and are invested in the future development of professionals entering the safety profession, participating in examination revalidation activities may be for you. If you would like to be considered for participation in upcoming activities, please email your interest to Andrea Kamradt, BCSP's Examinations Manager.

It is through BCSP's dedication to quality that we protect people, property and the environment.

 

The accomplishments of 2014 have transformed the BCSP. They will continue to positively impact the organization and the SH&E profession for years to come.

The launch of the BCSP Certification Management System (CMS) makes it possible for individuals to apply for and manage a safety certification online, streamlining the processes and reaching more SH&E practitioners around the world.

When the CMS went online it did so alongside a new BCSP website. The new site was built using responsive design, providing smartphone and tablet users better navigation.

These new advances provided a fertile ground for further growth in certification. BCSP set a record in new credential holders, exceeding 5,000 individuals who attained a BCSP designation last year.

"I am proud to have served as the Board of Certified Safety Professional's (BCSP) President in 2014," wrote Dr. Lon Ferguson, CSP, BCSP's 2015 Board Past President. "This (2014) was a year of change, as BCSP built upon its previous accomplishments to solidify its reputation as the 'Gold Standard' in safety, health and environmental (SH&E) certification."

More information on BCSP's 2014 accomplishments, along with further certification information, can be found in the BCSP 2014 Annual Report.