This past June, a grand jury in Ohio indicted an environmental health and safety manager with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, violation of wastewater permit, deviation from pre-treatment permit and criminal endangering. His company and several company officers were also charged. The environmental health and safety manager was not a BCSP credential holder.

Mark Briggs, Vice President at Safety Management Resources Corporation, started a discussion on the BCSP LinkedIn Group by posting the link to the story. Inspired by the discussion, the BCSP staff weighs in on the differences between competency and meeting a standard.

Some have said that when you pass the Comprehensive Practice examination and earn the CSP, you are now a competent safety professional. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily true. BCSP does not measure a candidate’s competence. What BCSP does measure is whether a candidate has met a peer-established, qualification standard. Our examinations assess whether the person has demonstrated at least a minimum standard of knowledge of practice on the date of the examination.

Steven Schoolcraft, CSP, P.E., CAE and Examinations Director at BCSP offers an analogy, “A 16-year old is issued a State driver’s license after the youth has passed certain basic qualifications and passes both the written and skill test. Therefore, the youth has met the state-established qualification standard. The youth is now authorized by the State to operate a motor vehicle, but is he or she actually competent?

“The State (BCSP) has done its part in certifying that the youth (credential holder) has the State-granted (peer-granted) authority to drive (to use the CSP credential in the practice of safety). Now, it’s up to the parents (the employer or client) to determine actual competence and authorize the youth (credential holder) to drive (practice professional safety).”

Earning a certification, such as the CSP, notifies fellow safety professionals and employers alike that you have met rigorous educational, experience and examination requirements. Employers should look toward those individuals who hold certification as they ascertain competency.