Issue 5
April 2015
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.

Celebrate Your Achievement     

Lon H. Ferguson, EdD, CSP, BCSP Board of Directors Past President and Chair of the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania

 

Many students will graduate soon, after years of diligent study. When you walk for your diploma, know that it represents your growth as a student in the field of safety, health and environment (SH&E). Celebrate your achievement!

As much as you would like to take a break from learning, the fact of the matter is that your learning is just starting and continued professional development is now a lifetime commitment. All SH&E Professionals have an ethical responsibility to maintain their competence. This is especially true in our profession, where the technology and knowledge is constantly changing and the bar of professional practice is being raised. The bottom line is that "standing still" results in eventual incompetence! The good news is that the SH&E profession provides a variety of opportunities for professional development.

Consider joining a professional membership organization if you have not already done so. BCSP's Sponsor Organizations offer their members information, the means to network, and other resources. Participation in a membership organization is an investment in your future and provides an opportunity to advance our profession.

As you gain experience, another option for professional development is a well-respected and accredited certification that can bring attention to your accomplishments. Some of you are graduating with the opportunity to become a Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) and begin on the path to the Certified Safety Professional (CSP). This issue of the BCSP Collegiate eNewsletter contains information on how to apply for the GSP. Others may now pursue the Associate Safety Professional (ASP) earlier, and hold it as a certification until choosing to attain the CSP.

Education, member association, and certification are the building blocks of a respected professional and a strong profession. Each supports the other. I am proud to see student involvement in spreading awareness of the SH&E profession and advocating for its advancement.

It is an exciting time to be involved in SH&E. As a profession, it is comparatively young and what you do has a major impact on its future.

Congrats!  

 

VisibleMaking Safety Visible  

Kenneth Carson, Oakland University student and two-year President of the Oakland University American Society of Safety Engineer's (ASSE) Student Section, began his internship posting signage conforming to the Global Harmonized System (GHS). The focus on visibility became a part of his work. "I perform many safety audits, and one thing I have learned very quickly is just how important it is to be seen doing the safety inspections," Carson says. "If employees know that there will be a safety person coming around with a pen and a sheet of paper, they will take steps to avoid safety violations."

The importance of making safety visible has been impressed upon Carson. He is now part of an effort to raise awareness of Oakland's ABET accredited Environmental Safety and Health program. "Many students who transfer in or are switching from a different major do not know about the program," he explains. The ASSE Student Section sets up booths and members talk to students about the benefits of a degree in Safety and Health as well as encourage them to talk with a SH&E counselor.

ASSE Student Section members are promoting safety outside the Oakland University campus as well. "I have recently reached out to the community activities advisor at Rochester High School about the chance to go to the school on May 8, 2015 and speak to a science class about the possibilities of entering a career in safety," Carson says. "It is very important to spread this idea out to the incoming freshman who have never heard of such programs." It is Carson's hope that this initial trip will spin off into a yearly event at other high schools that encourage students to find out more about a career in SH&E.

 

AuditingProve You Achieve Results     

Heather A. Farrar, Student Section ASSE Communications Officer 2014-2016, University of Findlay 


The role of a Health, Environmental, Safety and Security (HES&S) Professional is to identify hazards, plan, and implement a program to eliminate those hazards as a first step towards achieving the safest environment for employees. The next step is to make sure those programs are producing the desired results. During my internship this semester, I learned about the value of this next step by participating in a Responsible Care� focused audit program.
 
A successful audit program is one that checks for the success of HES&S programs and identifies opportunities for improvement. Responsible Care is a global initiative that has been managed in the United States by the American Chemistry Council since 1988. When a company engages in the effort to become Responsible Care certified, they are committing to becoming industry leaders by improving their HES&S performance and making continual improvements in these areas to the benefit of all.

In order to ensure ongoing compliance is met, the company conducts a tiered audit program that consists of yearly audits conducted by the HES&S professionals who are responsible for day to day compliance of the implemented policies and procedures. The next level of audits are conducted by an intra-company audit team who interview all levels of management down to the employees who carry out the front line work of the company. These audits are used to recommend and implement changes where opportunities for improvement are found.
 
As part of the Responsible Care certification process, a company must engage in third party verification audits every three years to show they meet the highest standards in HES&S and demonstrate continual improvement of their performance.

According to the American Chemistry Council, Responsible Care certified companies are responsible for reducing safety incidents by 55%, creating a manufacturing sector that is six times safer, reducing recordable injuries by 80%, reducing hazardous releases by 77% and are 14% more energy efficient. Also, due to Responsible Care, companies have invested $14 Billion into security initiatives. All these efforts not only benefit employees, but include improvements in the inclusion of the community through outreach programs, transparency and providing safer products to the consumer.

BCSP Doubles Contributions to SH&E Scholarships    

In support of future safety professionals, BCSP will continue to offer two ASSE Foundation (ASSEF) scholarships at $5,000 each and double the financial assistance it offers with two new $5,000 scholarships from the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF).

"BCSP embraces the opportunity to support safety students and their studies," says BCSP's CEO, Dr. Treasa Turnbeaugh, CSP, ASP, CET. "The potential demonstrated by scholarship recipients from each of these distinguished foundations is great. New safety professionals not only meet industries' safety needs  - They reinvigorate professional safety practice."

BCSP's ASSEF scholarship recipients will be recognized in June at ASSE's Safety 2015 conference.

The AIHF scholarships will be available this year, and will be awarded to SH&E students in 2016. 

 Fay Feeney, CSP (left) and Treasa Turnbeaugh, PhD, ASP, CSP, CET (right) stand with 2014 ASSE Foundation BCSP scholarship recipients Pamela Halstead and John Griscavage, GSP

GSPHighlight Your Value with the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP)  

Students who graduate from Qualifying Academic Programs (QAP) may apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP), a BCSP designation which meets the CSP's credential requirement.

GSP QAPs are SH&E academic programs accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET-ASAC) or the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).

To receive their GSP, a graduate must take two actions. First, they must submit the GSP application online. The steps to apply begin with visiting the BCSP website, selecting "My Profile" to create a profile in BCSP's Certification Management System (CMS), choosing the menu item "Apply for Certification," and applying for the GSP. The second action GSP applicants must take is to contact their university and have them send BCSP an official academic transcript showing degree earned and date conferred. This final transcript is often available a month after graduation.

Once your GSP application is submitted and your official transcript is received, your GSP designation will be awarded. New GSPs are mailed a packet with a congratulations letter, wall certificate, and prorated Annual Renewal Fee payment instructions.

A GSP has a ten (10) year window to acquire the four (4) years of professional level experience to become eligible to sit for the CSP certification.

BCSP is pleased to recognize highly-accredited SH&E programs and offer graduates this opportunity.

 

In This Issue
Send Us Your News

Consider the BCSP Collegiate
eNewsletter your eNewsletter.

The BCSP 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 Specialist.

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 Schools and Academic Programs Directory


BCSP maintains the Schools and Academic Programs Directory for those seeking the knowledge required to become an 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 Qualifying 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 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 Articles and Presentations webpage.

Item writing illustrates your safety knowledge, earning you Recertification points as well. Find out more on our Item Writing webpage.