What Are the Top Certifications for Safety Professionals?

Certifications for safety professionals validate their knowledge and skills to entrench them as leaders in their industry’s safety sector. Holding these certifications demonstrates their commitment to maintaining industry standards and making the workplace healthier and safer for company employees.

What Makes a Top Safety Certification?

A top safety certification validates a professional’s expertise in safety management, risk assessment and regulatory compliance, among other sectors. Employers readily recognize top certifications as demonstrating a commitment to safety excellence. High-level certifications require adherence to industry safety standards and rigorous education and experience.

With either comprehensive examination processes or dedicated training courses, the top safety certifications afford opportunities for professionals in all sectors of an organization to apply their skills, knowledge and experience to make organizations better equipped and more compliant in workplace safety.

What are the top certifications for safety professionals? They are those that stand out by providing certificants with unquestionable leadership in regulatory compliance, thus reducing workplace accidents, injuries and fatalities. The certifications listed below are among the top accreditations across different safety professional levels.

1. Master Safety Professional (MSP)

Qualifying for an MSP through the National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP) means the certificant has the strategic and specialist qualities required to fulfill high safety positions within a company. They will likely carry influence among policymakers and senior management while developing and implementing facility-wide, comprehensive corporate health and safety-related programs.

Becoming an MSP requires an existing bachelor’s or associate’s degree with obligatory years of professional safety experience. Alternatively, with seven years of experience in the safety sector, a high school diploma will suffice to write MSP examinations. Either way, 50% of an applicant’s current working role must involve safety, and they must hold at least one stipulated industry-related credential.

Over and above the academic requirements, NASP advises that those intending to write the MSP examination first attend the MSP Prep Course. However, doing so is not obligatory. The course is an excellent refresher for experienced safety professionals. It covers 21 primary topics addressing the skills, abilities and knowledge required for the MSP Certification examination, a 105-question preparatory exam, interactive training modules, and more.

Alternatively, suitably qualified candidates can take the closed-book proctored examination immediately. It consists of 150 multiple-choice questions and must be completed in three hours. Once successful, MSP certificants must demonstrate competence by completing appropriate courses or training to remain current with best practices, regulations and industry standards. Continued recertification means gaining academic credits through semester hours or continuing education credits.

Certification Examination Requirements

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree and extensive safety work experience of at least three years, or a high school diploma and seven years of safety work experience.
• Candidates must possess one safety-related NASP, BCSP, BCRSP, IHMM, IBFCSM, NEBOSH, military or OHS/EHS credential.
• 50% of a candidate’s current professional role must be safety-related.

2. Certified Safety Director (CSD)

The CSD is another certified position offered through the NASP and is one of the top certifications for safety professionals. Upon completing the CSD exam, successful certificants generally occupy strategic and problem-solving positions within the workplace. Their training, experience, analytic ability and critical thinking skills provide technical and conceptual know-how to organizations and other employees.

To write the CSD examination, candidates must follow a similar career path to the MSP certification, except that the required work experience is less stringent. With an existing bachelor’s degree in OHS or EHS, for example, the applicant needs only two years of professional experience compared to the three years required for MSP certification.

Likewise, the applicant may have slightly less safety work experience if they have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree. For those possessing a high school diploma, five years of experience in the safety field will suffice compared to the seven years for an MSP. The other qualifying requirements remain the same — meeting one of the NASP’s specified track requirements is essential to progress to the examination stage. Candidates must also fulfill half of their professional working day in safety-related scenarios.

Before writing the exam, the NASP offers a CSD Preparation Course on 20 relevant topics that teach health and safety essentials and prepare applicants for the final examination. Like the MSP Prep Course, the CSD Preparation Course is optional, with a downloadable PDF, interactive training modules, practice questions and a 100-question mock exam. Following certification, certificants require occasional recertification to conform to the NASP Professional Standards Agreement by maintaining and enhancing their current knowledge base.

Certification Examination Requirements

• Candidates must have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree and extensive safety work experience of at least two years, or a high school diploma and five years of safety work experience.
• Candidates must possess one safety-related NASP, BCSP, BCRSP, IHMM, IBFCSM, NEBOSH, military or OHS/EHS credential.
• At least half of an applicant’s existing professional working time must incorporate safety.

3. Certified Safety Management Specialist (CSMS)

Safety Center offers the CSMS certification to EHS managers, safety officers, safety consultants, safety leads and selected employees. CSMS certification provides insight into best safety practices and adds necessary tools to the certificant’s arsenal. As a result, they can create new safety programs or enhance existing program efficacy to improve workplace safety culture.

Instructors conduct the CSMS course on Safety Center’s virtual training platform, making it easy for experienced safety officials and others with industry responsibilities to access. CSMS certification is industry-recognized as it details the three main categories of building quality safety programs — building a strong safety culture, the technical aspects involved in creating and improving safer workplaces, and identifying safety leadership competencies.

For candidates to receive the CSMS designation, they must complete the nine classes — preferably in order — pass all tests, and present a SMART goal project and report. Only after completion can they sit the final examination to add a CSMS certification to their resumes. The CSMS program takes three months to complete.

The nine classes — each one session long — target workplace safety culture, best practices, accident and incident investigation, industrial hygiene awareness, and several other related subjects. These include inspection processes, leadership, communication and performance.

Certification Examination Requirements

• CSMS enrollment must adhere to Safety Center requirements.
• Applicants must complete all nine included courses and pass all tests.
• Exam entry depends on the successful completion and submission of a SMART goal project and final report.

4. Safety Trained Supervisor (STS)

Applying for the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) STS certification usually means candidates have collateral, ancillary or adjunct safety responsibilities within their job descriptions. Their primary professional designations may include anything from trade, craft or specialized technical roles to supervisory, managerial or leadership positions.

The applicant’s current responsibilities will invariably consist of maintaining compliance, correcting identified hazards and completing documentation. They will also communicate with relevant safety stakeholders and specialists. BCSP has specific requirements for an applicant to qualify to write the STS certification examination, including a minimum of 30 hours of prior safety, health and environmental training.

Other necessities include an associate’s or higher degree in risk management, occupational safety or construction management. Candidates can alternatively qualify if they have completed a two-year trade apprenticeship or union training program. Another way to sit the STS exam is to complete two years of supervisory work or four years of other work within an industry setting. This work should be at least 18 hours weekly for the relevant period.

After the STS exam application is approved, a candidate can enroll in the STS examCORE online course. This course provides in-depth study options for each area featured in the BCSP STS blueprint. The training includes pre- and post-assessment by impartial subject-matter professionals. It also affords individuals access to over 500 examCORE questions and numerous before- and after-course self-readying tests.

Certification Examination Requirements

• Candidates must have at least 30 hours of safety, health and environmental training.
• Applicants require at least two years of industry supervisory experience or at least four years of industry workplace experience.
• Applicants may have previously completed specific, BCSP-approved qualifications, apprenticeships or union training programs in place of the above-mentioned workplace experience.

5. Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate for General Industry

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issues the Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate for General Industry to people who have completed seven of the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education courses. The program trains public and private sector employees in occupational health and safety, providing a foundation of safety principles in the workplace.

After completing three compulsory courses, participants move on to elective courses related to general industry. Of the 17 available, they must complete four to secure their Safety and Health Fundamentals certification. The certification can ensure a variety of entry-to-mid-level professional positions for certificants, including Site Safety Officer, Safety Coordinator, Compliance Officer, Environmental Manager, Risk and Hazard Controller, and Industrial Hygiene Manager.

The first required course covers topics like OSHA policies and standards and general industry health and safety principles. OSHA emphasizes the most hazardous areas in industry in this course. The second compulsory course introduces health management using group projects and interactive assignments, giving participants an enhanced understanding of workplace health management systems. The final course introduces basic accident investigation procedures by describing analysis techniques.

After completing the compulsory courses, which provide a minimum of 39 contact training hours, participants can select four more specialized courses comprising at least 29 further contact hours. Completing these results in an OSHA-issued Safety and Health Fundamentals Certificate for General Industry.

Certification Requirements

• Applicants must register at an authorized OTI Education Center.
• Participants need 68 hours of successful training to complete seven courses — three compulsory and four elective ones.
• After course completion, candidates must submit a certificate application by attaching all course certificates to an Application Verification Form and waiting for processing and certification issuance.

6. Advanced Safety Certificate (ASC)

The ASC program is administered by the National Safety Council (NSC). It is a nationally recognized certification centered on proven best practices and knowledge of safety compliance requirements. Receiving the accreditation can prepare professionals for roles within the safety sector, such as Health and Safety Officer, Safety Supervisor, OHS Manager and Senior Safety Advisor.

The certification also benefits existing safety professionals, safety committee members and human resources professionals. The ASC provides industry-wide knowledge applicable in construction, manufacturing, healthcare and more, sharpening leadership skills to implement measures and improve safety efficacy throughout organizations.

The ASC curriculum assists professionals in achieving balance in safety management while enhancing problem-solving and decision-making skills. It helps people understand successful delegation and how to set safety performance measures. Participants will better assess organizational safety needs and customize training programs. To earn the ASC, participants must complete various NSC-hosted virtual instructor-led training courses.

The four-day Principles of Occupational Safety and Health (POSH) course is required. The NSC suggests completing the POSH course first, but individuals can complete any combination of the 11 other courses for an additional eight training days in any order. The duration of the elective courses varies from one day to five. If a participant completes all course requirements within five years, the NSC will send them an electronic ASC certification award kit.

Certification Requirements

• Individuals must register for the ASC virtual course on the NSC website.
• Once enrolled, participants must complete the four-day POSH course, although the order of course completion does not matter. In total, applicants must complete 12 days of coursework, meaning eight days of elective course material.
• After completing the entire course within a five-year timespan, certificants must submit their application via email to receive the NSC electronic ASC award kit and certification.

Holding a Top Safety Certification Confirms a Professional’s Expertise 

Safety professionals are present at all levels in the workplace, and each has an essential role in making an organization as safe as possible for employees, management, executives and visitors.

With top certification, these professionals can make safety decisions that benefit the entire establishment by maintaining regulatory compliance and implementing, initiating, and fine-tuning safety processes and procedures. They will also deal with any incidents and accidents that might occur promptly and efficiently.