The Board of Certified Safety Professionals

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) began in 1969 as a peer certification board. It is not a member organization and does not provide services usually offered by member organizations. Membership in any organization is not a requirement for certification.

Its sole purpose is to certify practitioners in the safety profession. Safety professionals identify hazards and evaluate them for the potential to cause injury or illness to people or harm of property and the environment. The safety professional recommends administrative and engineering controls that eliminate or minimize the risk and danger posed by hazards. They work with professionals in other disciplines in many different job settings. They work for companies, government agencies and private organizations or offer individual professional services. They may engage in design, planning, program management, training, audit and other aspects of practice. Additionally, they apply hazard recognition, evaluation and control knowledge and skills for equipment, systems, facilities and processes, or in operations, manufacturing, transportation, construction, insurance services and other enterprises.

Since 1969, over 30,000 individuals have achieved a SH&E credential. Currently, over 12,000 hold the CSP and 7,500 retain an OHST, CHST or STS credential. The value of the safety certification continues to grow. In the U.S., numerous laws, regulations and standards cite it. More importantly, many companies include it in position standards, government agencies rely on it and contracts for safety services require it.

Setting the Standard

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals is recognized as the leader in high quality credentialing for safety, health, and environmental practitioners in order to enhance the safety of people, property, and the environment.

BCSP:

• Sets standards for professional, technician, technologist, and supervisory level safety practices.
• Evaluates the academic and professional experience qualifications of certification applicants.
• Administers examinations.
• Issues certificates to candidates who meet BCSP's certification qualifications and successfully pass the examination(s).
• Monitors continued professional development through mandatory recertification requirements

About our Executive Director

Thomas L. Adams was named Executive Director of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals in September of 2009. BCSP is a global certification body with over 22,000 individuals currently certified who are engaged in the performance of safety related activities in the safety, health and environmental fields.

An association executive for most of his career, Mr. Adams served as President & CEO of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals, Executive Director of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, President of the Medical Group Management Association and Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Medical Society before joining BCSP as Executive Director.

Mr. Adams is active in a number of associations and served as an officer and director of the American Association of Medical Society Executives. He has held a number of appointed positions including serving three years on the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP), the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Governor’s (WI) Advisory Committee on Health Insurance for the Uninsured and numerous charitable boards.

A graduate of Lenoir Rhyne College (now University) with a BA in History, Mr. Adams was honored by his Alma Mater in 2001 with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. In 2003, Modern Healthcare Magazine listed him as one of the 100 most powerful people in healthcare. In 2005 Pharma Voice Magazine named him as one of the 100 most inspiring people in the industry.

An avid sailor, Mr. Adams, is married to Diane Waltman Adams. He has two children, Benjamin Adams a commercial real estate developer in Raleigh and Ashley Adams a Middle Eastern scholar residing in Palestine.

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