Career Guide to the Safety Profession, Second Edition

©2000 by the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation and the Board ofCertfied Safety Professionals

ISBN 1-885581-10-6

Printed in the United States

This publication is funded by the American Society of Safety Engineers Foun-dation and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

For additional copies, contact:American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation1800 E. Oakton StreetDes Plaines, IL 60018Phone: 847-699-2929; Fax: 847-296-3769

OrBoard of Certified Safety Professionals208 Burwash AvenueSavoy, IL 61874Phone: 217-359-9263; Fax: 217-359-0055; Email: bcsp@bcsp.org

Career Guideto theSafetyProfessionAmerican Society of Safety Engineers FoundationDes Plaines, Illinois

Board of Certified Safety ProfessionalsSavoy, Illinois

Contents

Page

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What is the Safety Profession? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What Safety Professionals Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Where Safety Professionals Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Employment Outlook for Safety Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Should I Become a Safety Professional? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

How to Become a Safety Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Areas Where Safety Professionals Can Specialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Profiles of Safety Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Publishers of the Career Guide to the Safety Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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The Career Guide to the Safety Professionprovides an overview of the variety of careersavailable in the safety profession. It alsoprovides guidance in the selection ofundergraduate and graduate academicprograms, and profiles some safetyprofessionals now employed in both thepublic and private sectors. The professionsdescribed here are critical to the health andsafety of all working men and women.

One partner to these professions is theNational Institute for Occupational Safetyand Health (NIOSH). Part of the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention, NIOSHidentifies the causes of work-related diseasesand injuries, evaluates the hazards of newtechnologies and work practices, createsways to control hazards so that workers areprotected, and makes recommendations foroccupational safety and health standards. Asthe Director of NIOSH, every day I see therewards and challenges of occupationalsafety and health careers.

In recent decades, a great deal of progresshas been made in making workplaces safer.Fatal and disabling injuries have declinedsubstantially. Methods to control manyspecific hazards have been developed, andsome occupational diseases, such as brownlung disease from cotton dust exposure andliver cancer from vinyl chloride exposure,have been nearly eliminated.

Foreword

But much remains to be done. Workplaceinjuries and diseases still burden the nationwith billions of dollars in workers’compensation and medical care costs, lostproductivity and wages. These injuries andillnesses impose pain and suffering onthousands of workers. Furthermore,advancing technologies and processes maybring new hazards to the workplace.

By anticipating and identifying hazards in theworkplace—in the tasks, tools, materials,machines, and other aspects of the workenvironment—safety professionals helpassure that men and women go home safefrom work. This publication providesstudents a chance to explore opportunities invital safety careers.

Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H.DirectorNational Institute for OccupationalSafety and Health

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Preface

As we begin the twenty-first century, thesafety profession requires highly educated,competent and motivated practitioners. It isestimated that the employment opportunitiesfor safety professionals will continue to beextremely good in the next decade. Today’ssafety professional serves as a valuedmember of management, engineering andbusiness teams, often as a leader for projects,initiatives and programs. Job satisfaction inthe profession is high. In fact, recent surveysby the American Society of Safety Engineers(ASSE) and the Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals (BCSP) report a “90% careersatisfaction” rate. The various responsibilitieswhich make up the typical daily schedulesof safety professionals mean that most areseldom bored—and many times oftenchallenged.

To meet these challenges, safetyprofessionals need a strong academicbackground. To maintain their competency,safety professionals must continue theirprofessional development throughout theircareers. Business, technology and legalchanges demand that safety professionalsstay abreast of the impacts on professionalpractice. The clear lines that once separatedvarious safety disciplines in the past havefaded as more safety professionals alsoassume health and environmentalresponsibilities in business, industry andgovernmental agencies. Safety professionalswith a broad undergraduate background inscience, engineering, business, health,education, law, government, and psychologyare well prepared to function in today’semployment environment.

Achieving a rewarding and successful careerin safety is strongly related to education andcertification. In a recent survey of CertifiedSafety Professionals® conducted by the Boardof Certified Safety Professionals, 13% ofthose holding the Certified SafetyProfessional (CSP®) designation earned over$100,000 per year. The average pay wasabout $75,000 per year. About 45% of therespondents had advanced degrees. Severalstudies show that those holding the CSP earnabout $15,000 more per year than their non-certified peers.

This guide provides a wealth of informationabout the various career options available inthe safety profession and the educationalpreparation typically required. We hope thatthe Career Guide to the Safety Professionprovides vital information to studentsconsidering a rewarding career as a safetyprofessional.

Roger L. Brauer, Ph.D., CSP, PEExecutive DirectorBoard of Certified Safety Professionals1

Edwin J. Granberry, Jr., FAIS, CESChairpersonAmerican Society of Safety EngineersFoundation1

® “Certified Safety Professional” and “CSP” are certificationmarks awarded to the Board of Certified Safety Professionalsby the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

1 See Page 49 for profiles of BCSP and the ASSE Foundation.

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Introduction

As society becomes more complex, there isa constant need for new and advanced goodsand services. This, in turn, creates jobs andprofessions that were unheard of just onegeneration ago. Because of the very rapidchanges in these jobs and professions, it ishard for students to learn about future jobopportunities. It is even more difficult toknow about the type of preparation that isneeded for a particular profession—or thequalities and traits that might help individualssucceed in it.

The purpose of this booklet is to provide in-depth information about the safety professionthat should be helpful for studentsconsidering a career in this challenging andrewarding field.

For over a century, safety professionals haveprotected the safety and health of the publicby controlling hazards. While these effortsbecame more sophisticated and widespreadduring the twentieth century, real progresson a wide front did not occur in the U.S. untilafter World War II.

In 1970, a major development in safety cameabout when the U.S. Congress passed theOccupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct). This legislation was important becauseit stressed the control of workplace hazards.This, in turn, defined a clear area of practicefor the previously loosely organized safetyprofession. Other legislation passed during

the next twenty years has increased the scopeof safety practice into areas of environmentalprotection, product safety, hazardousmaterials management and designing safetyinto vehicles, highways, process plants andbuildings.

With the increased emphasis on safety drivenby laws, public concern and company values,more colleges today prepare people forcareers in safety. The number of peoplepreparing themselves for careers in the safetyprofession through safety degree programsis increasing. As a result, the safetyprofession has respect from other establishedprofessions such as engineering, medicineand law (all of which had traditionally beeninvolved in hazard control, but had no specialtraining in it).

In the last twenty years, employment in safetyhas grown dramatically. The period ofcorporate downsizing in the early 1990’s hadlittle impact on professional safety positions.Safety has also become more complex, sothat today’s safety professionals must havebetter qualifications. Safety demands the bestin all of its practitioners.

The information found in this booklet willexplain what the safety profession is aboutand what to study to become part of it.Hopefully, the information in this bookletwill show that there is a place for students inthe safety profession.

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What is the Safety Profession?

The primary focus for the safety professionis prevention of harm to people, property andthe environment. Safety professionals applyprinciples drawn from such disciplines asengineering, education, psychology,physiology, enforcement, hygiene, health,physics, and management. They useappropriate methods and techniques of lossprevention and loss control. “Safety science”is a twenty-first century term for everythingthat goes into the prevention of accidents,illnesses, fires, explosions and other eventswhich harm people, property and theenvironment.

The U.S. has a lot to gain by reducing thenumber of these preventable events. TheNational Safety Council estimated that in theU.S., accidents alone cost our nation over$480.5 billion in 1998. Fire-related lossesexceed $8 billion per year.

Illness caused by exposing people to harmfulbiological, physical and chemical agentsproduce great losses each year and accurateestimates of their impact are hard to make.In addition, pollution of all kinds causesdamage to all forms of life. This generatesskyrocketing cleanup costs and threatens thefuture habitability of our planet.

The term “safety science” may sound new,but many sources of safety scienceknowledge are hundreds of years old. All ofthe following are knowledge areas of safetyscience:• Chemistry and biology provide

knowledge about hazardous substances.

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• Physics tells people about electricity,heat, radiation and other forms of energythat must be controlled to ensure safe use.

• Ergonomics helps people understand theperformance limits of humans and helpsthem design tasks, machines, workstations and facilities which improveperformance and safety.

• Psychology helps people understandhuman behaviors that can lead to or avoidaccidents.

• Physiology, biomechanics and medicinehelp people understand the mechanismsof injury and illness and how to preventthem.

• Engineering, business management,economics, and even sociology andgeology give people the knowledgenecessary to improve safety in oursociety.

The things that can cause or contribute toaccidents, illnesses, fire and explosions, andsimilar undesired events are called “hazards.”Safety science gives people the ability toidentify, evaluate, and control or preventthese hazards. Safety science providesmanagement methods for setting policy andsecuring funds to operate safety activities ina company.

Hazard control activities go on every daythroughout the world. From the carefuldesign and operation of nuclear powergenerating stations to the elimination of lead-based paints in homes, the efforts to reducethreats to public safety go on nonstop. Theapplication of safety science principles

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occurs in many places: in the workplace, inall modes of transportation, in laboratories,schools, and hospitals, at construction sites,on oil drilling rigs at sea, in undergroundmines, in the busiest cities, in the spaceprogram, on farms, and anywhere else wherepeople may be exposed to hazards.

Safety science helps people understand howsomething can act as a hazard. People mustknow how and when the hazard can produceharm and the best ways to eliminate or reducethe danger. If a hazard cannot be eliminated,we must know how to minimize exposuresto the hazard. This costs money and requiresassistance from owners and managers. Safetyprofessionals must know the most cost-effective ways to reduce the risk and how toadvise employees and owners. By applyingsafety science, all of these activities can beeffectively carried out. Without safetyscience, safety professionals rely onguesswork, mythology and superstition.

Safety professionals are the specialists in thefight to control hazards. To be calledprofessionals, they must acquire the essentialknowledge of safety science througheducation and experience so that others canrely on their judgments and recom-mendations. Top safety professionalsdemonstrate their competence throughprofessional certification examinations.Regardless of the industry, safetyprofessionals help to achieve safety in theworkplace by identifying and analyzinghazards which potentially create injury andillness problems, developing and applyinghazard controls, communicating safety andhealth information, measuring theeffectiveness of controls, and performingfollow-up evaluations to measure continuingimprovement in programs.

What Safety Professionals Do

Wherever people run the risk of personalinjury or illness, they are likely to find safetyprofessionals at work. Safety professionalsare people who use a wide variety ofmanagement, engineering and scientificskills to prevent human suffering and relatedlosses. Their specific roles and activities varywidely, depending on their education,experience and the types of organizations forwhom they work. Safety professionals whohave earned doctoral degrees are often foundat the college and university level, teachingand doing research, public service andconsulting. Most safety professionals,however, have bachelor’s or master’s degrees.These professionals may be found workingfor insurance companies, in a variety ofindustries, for state and federal agencies likethe Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA), and in hospitals,schools and nonprofit organizations.

Safety professionals’ precise roles andresponsibilities depend on the companies ororganizations for whom they work. Differentindustries have different hazards and requireunique safety expertise. However, mostsafety professionals do at least several of thefollowing:• Hazard Recognition: identifying

conditions or actions that may causeinjury, illness or property damage.

• Inspections/Audits: assessing safety andhealth risks associated with equipment,materials, processes, facilities orabilities.

• Fire Protection: reducing fire hazards byinspection, layout of facilities andprocesses, and design of fire detectionand suppression systems.

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• Regulatory Compliance: ensuring thatmandatory safety and health standardsare satisfied.

• Health Hazard Control: controllinghazards such as noise, chemicalexposures, radiation, or biologicalhazards that can create harm.

• Ergonomics: improving the workplacebased on an understanding of humanphysiological and psychologicalcharacteristics, abilities and limitations.

• Hazardous Materials Management:ensuring that dangerous chemicals andother products are procured, stored, anddisposed of in ways that prevent fires,exposure to or harm from thesesubstances.

• Environmental Protection: controllinghazards that can lead to undesirablereleases of harmful materials into the air,water or soil.

• Training: providing employees andmanagers with the knowledge and skillsnecessary to recognize hazards andperform their jobs safely and effectively.

• Accident and Incident Investigations:determining the facts related to anaccident or incident based on witnessinterviews, site inspections andcollection of other evidence.

• Advising Management: helpingmanagers establish safety objectives,plan programs to achieve thoseobjectives and integrate safety into theculture of an organization.

• Record Keeping: maintaining safety andhealth information to meet governmentrequirements, as well as to provide datafor problem solving and decision-making.

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• Evaluating: judging the effectiveness ofexisting safety and health relatedprograms and activities.

• Emergency Response: organizing,training and coordinating skilledemployees with regard to emergenciessuch as fires, accidents or other disasters.

• Managing Safety Programs: planning,organizing, budgeting and trackingexecutions of activities to achieve safetyobjectives in an organization or toimplement administrative or technicalcontrols that will eliminate or reducehazards.

No matter where people work, travel, live orplay, conditions exist that can result inpersonal injury or illness. And wherever thepossibility of personal injury or illness exists,they will find safety professionals dedicatedto preventing human suffering and relatedlosses.

Successful safety professionals are effectivecommunicators with strong “people skills.”Most people in this professioncharacteristically possess the desire to helpand work with others. The safety professionalfaces new challenges almost daily. Thesatisfaction of knowing that people have beenprotected because harmful accidents andother incidents have been prevented is justone of the many rewards associated with“what safety professionals do.”

Where Safety Professionals Work

Since safety professionals provide technicalassistance in identifying, evaluating andcontrolling hazards, safety professionalswork virtually anywhere where people mightbe exposed to hazards. There are positionsfor safety professionals in every part of theUnited States and in other countries.

No matter what a company’s business is, itsemployees can encounter some type ofhazard, either at work, getting to and fromwork or at home or play. Even working at acomputer terminal can be hazardous,producing long-term injuries to the hand andwrist, back or other parts of the body.Whether a company does manufacturing,mining, transportation, agriculture,chemicals, fuels production, construction, orprovides services, it will always face hazardsin some or all of its operations. It is likelythat the company would employ or contractwith one or more safety professionals.

It is common for companies to employ safetyprofessionals at particular work sites. Atcorporate offices, safety professionals cancoordinate the hazard control activities awayfrom the work sites. Some college graduatesin safety begin as Assistant Safety Managersat small plants or company work sites. Aftera period of training and successfulperformance, the graduates may advance toSafety Director at a small plant. Later, theymay advance to similar positions at largerfacilities.

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Many companies have combined safety,industrial hygiene, environmental affairs, fireprotection and ergonomics into a singledepartment. A safety professional mayadvance by overseeing the work of all areasin the department.

Many safety professionals aspire to becomea Corporate Safety Manager based at thecorporate office. There they have broaderresponsibilities and may have to travel oftento visit various work sites. Other safetyprofessionals prefer to remain at one worksite where their responsibilities can be justas challenging, but where travel is light.

Figure 1 shows where safety professionalsare employed in general. Tables 1 through 5provide more details about employment forsafety professionals.

A growing number of safety professionalswho have performed very well in their safetypositions are being promoted to otherresponsible positions which extend beyondsafety. For example, they might be placed incharge of a department, unit or the entireoperation at a site. Since safety is animportant part of all successful operations,safety professionals are being recognized aspeople who can effectively contribute to otheractivities within the organization.

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Figure 1. Industries in which Safety Professionals Work.Based on a 1999 BCSP study of over 4,300 CSPs.

Manufacturing/Production32%

Insurance23%

Consulting15%

Government11%

Other Business8%

Construction4%

Utilities & Commun.4%

Transportation2%

Table 1. Safety Professionals withinManufacturing and Production Industries(32%)

Industry PercentApparel and other finished fabric products <1Chemicals and allied products 25Crude petroleum and natural gas 9Electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies 10Fabricated metal products 3Food products 4Furniture and fixtures <1Leather and leather products <1Lumber and wood products 1Machinery 2Ordnance 2Paper and allied products 3Petroleum refining and related industries 10Primary metal industries 3Printing, publishing and allied industries 1Professional, scientific, and controlling instruments 3Rubber and plastic products 3Stone, clay, and glass products 2Textile mill products 1Tobacco 1Transportation equipment 6Miscellaneous manufacturing 9Total 100

Table 2. Safety Professionals within OtherBusinesses (8%)

Industry PercentAgricultural, forestry, and fisheries 2Banking and real estate 1Educational services (colleges, universities, libraries) 33Hotels and miscellaneous personal services 5Medical and health services 12Mining 11Nonprofit membership organizations 2Retail trades 4Wholesale trades 4Non-classifiable establishments 24Total 100

Table 3. Safety Professionals withinGovernment (11%)

Level of Government PercentInternational 1Federal 72State 11Local 16Total 100

Table 4. Safety Professionals within Utili-ties and Communication (4%)

Industry PercentUtilities 76Communication 24Total 100

Table 5. Safety Professionals within Trans-portation Industries (2%)

Industry PercentAir 38Local, suburban and urban passenger 5Motor freight transportation and warehousing 14Railroad 33Water 10Total 100

Some safety professionals work forconsulting firms that are hired byorganizations to provide specialized hazardcontrol services. These services might beprovided on a one-time basis, or they mightbe performed on a regular basis. For example,NASA and other federal governmentagencies frequently contract with consultingfirms for many of their engineering and othertechnical functions, including safety work.The consultants have offices on site and workside-by-side with federal employees on along-term basis. Many large corporations arenow using contractors in the same way. Whilesome safety consultants provide theirservices to different clients all over thecountry, others work mainly in one city, stateor area.

A safety professional may work in a largeconsulting firm with dozens of otherconsultants. However, many consultantswork alone and are self-employed frequentlyon short-term assignments in their particularspecialty.

Safety consulting work covers a widespectrum of hazard control activities. Someconsultants specialize in evaluating andcontrolling only specific types of hazards. For

example, safety consultants working asindustrial hygienists concentrate on healthhazards such as vapor, noise, radiation, toxicdusts, gases, or other physical agents. Othersafety consultants might specialize inconstruction hazards, or hazards of boilers,cranes, aircraft or chemical plants. A safetyprofessional who gains a high degree ofexpertise with specific types of hazards,either through education or experience (andusually both) can have a satisfying andrewarding career as a safety consultant.Those involved in consulting work also needto be able to manage the day-to-day aspectsof operating a private business.

Insurance companies often provideconsulting services to the policy holders theyinsure. These safety professionals are knownas loss control representatives. They work foran insurance company and visit the facilitiesof insured policy holders to assist them withhazard recognition, evaluation and control.Many safety professionals begin their careersas loss control representatives.

Because of the tragic losses caused byuncontrolled hazards, federal, state and localgovernment have created laws or regulationsregarding how and when hazards are to becontrolled. To enforce these laws andregulations, government agencies employsafety professionals as inspectors andaccident investigators. They visit sites whereuncontrolled hazards are thought to exist.These government-employed safetyprofessionals usually work in one area of thecountry or within a state. They may also needto visit sites in that area, either on a regularor occasional basis. They provide theinformation needed to determine ifgovernment laws, regulations or standardshave been met. From their recommendations,changes can be made to achieve better controlof any hazard found to exist.

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Employment Outlook for Safety Professionals

The employment outlook for safetyprofessionals is very favorable. Dependingon their education, communication skills,experience and professional certifications,safety professionals can expect to have arewarding career far into the future.Specialists will be needed as advancementsin technology, regulations and publicexpectations increase.

With a bachelor’s or master’s degree,graduates can expect to find rewardingemployment in industrial settings or in thepublic sector. Individuals may findemployment in research laboratories and atcolleges and universities, although some ofthese positions may require doctoral degrees.They may also find a career with federal, stateand local safety agencies.

The safety profession includes many new jobclassifications. For example, the field ofergonomics has grown as injury rates haveclimbed in meat processing, manufacturingand at computer workstations. Also, there isan increased emphasis on highway andconstruction safety. All of these areas offergood employment opportunities.

Insurance and worker’s compensation costshave escalated over the last two decades andhave become economic concerns for manyemployers. This has led to a growingemphasis on safety for companies and moreemployment opportunities for safetyprofessionals.

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Responsible companies, concerned publicand special interest groups have increasedprotection for our environment. Thetechniques and principles involved inachieving this are similar to those used inaccident prevention. Safety professionals areoften assigned responsibilities forenvironmental affairs. This increases the needfor safety professionals in organizations withenvironmental hazards.

There is increased coverage in the print andbroadcast media about hazardous wastespills, accidents, and other events thatproduce losses which could have beenavoided through preventive measures and bybetter management. The adverse publicitycreates opportunities for people trained todevelop management systems that preventlosses. For some time, the careeropportunities for innovative safetyprofessionals have grown faster than thenumber of trained and qualified individualsavailable.

The need for safety professionals hascontinued to grow in spite of a shrinkingmanufacturing base. While many non-U.S.countries have safety standards below thosefound in the United States, responsiblecompanies require their foreign plants tosafeguard all employees. Foreign countriesare also raising their safety, health andenvironmental standards. In many cases,international standards now protect workerseverywhere.

Employment in the field of safety hascontinued to grow over the years. This growthhas continued, even in bad economic times.There is no reason to believe that the needfor more safety professionals will diminishin the near future.

Salaries

Salaries range from lows of about $30,000for safety inspectors to highs of $150,000 forhighly qualified individuals in demandingpositions. Many recent graduates in the safetysciences receive starting salaries near orabove $40,000 per year.

The top people in the safety profession oftenearn salaries comparable to top people in law,medicine, engineering and accounting. Thepositions of those leading loss preventionefforts for large corporations or thosemanaging or owning consulting firms oftenprovide compensation well into six figures.

An average mid-career safety professionalwith a bachelor’s or master’s degree canexpect to earn between $60,000 and $75,000per year. The Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals regularly monitors salaries ofthose safety professionals holding theCertified Safety Professional (CSP)designation. Summary data and details bygender, degree type and level, age, industry,state and other factors are available fromBCSP. Professional societies, such as ASSE,conduct salary studies from time to time andpublish the results. Contact ASSE to requesta copy of the most recent ASSE SalarySurvey.

Opportunities for Advancement

A person’s ambition, level of education,experience, skills and certifications all affectcareer paths in safety. As with otherprofessions, when people perform well over

a period of time, they become candidates forpositions of greater responsibility. More andmore safety professionals have broadeducation, experience and professionalcredentials and are well qualified to moveinto different parts of business organizations.Also, experienced safety professionalsusually have little trouble moving from oneorganization to another.

Some people may seek advanced degrees.Over one third of safety professionals todayhave advanced degrees in some field. Thosewith a doctoral degree may find a teachingcareer to their liking or find opportunities inresearch on specific safety issues as technicaladvisors. The National Institute forOccupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) hascontinuing needs for research on many kindsof workplace hazards.

Safety professionals may also attendprofessional schools and go into law practiceor administration. Safety careers afford anindividual experience that is far broader thanmany others. Safety professionals can, andoften do, get involved in many aspects of abusiness.

Opportunities for Minorities and OtherGroups

Minority safety practitioners have beenamong the ranks of safety professionals sincethe 1800s, yet their participation was not wellrecognized until recently. Early examplesinclude Alice Hamilton, MD, who began herresearch into toxic substances and workplacediseases at the turn of the century. Garret A.Morgan and Andrew J. Beard are earlyexamples of African-Americans whoseengineering designs and patents significantlyenhanced the safety and health of Americans.Beard, in the late 1800s, invented theautomatic linking coupler, which improveda very hazardous job performed by railroad

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yard workers. Morgan invented the gas maskused in the early 1900s in undergroundmines. He also patented the electric trafficsignal.

As the safety profession began to gaincredibility in the 1970s, there were very fewwomen in the profession. Today, it isestimated from recent studies that about 15%to 20% of those entering the safety professionare women.

The number of women, minorities and peoplewith disabilities who are entering the safetyprofession is likely to continue growing.Some evidence of this growth can be foundin recent studies of minorities graduatingwith undergraduate degrees in the alliedfields of industrial engineering and publichealth. It is estimated that in the future, aboutone fourth to one third of all degreed entry-level safety professionals will be from aminority population of the United States.

Careers in safety are available and open tomen and women of every racial and ethnicbackground. Having a physical disability isnot a barrier to success in the safetyprofession. There is a trend toward diversityin the work place.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA), employers must provide access toemployment for those with disabilities. Notonly is the safety profession open to thosewith disabilities, many safety professionalsneed to evaluate and control hazards whichmay impact those with disabilities.

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Should I Become a Safety Professional?

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When choosing a future profession, whatshould students look for? Probably all of thefollowing considerations are important: aprofession that is respected, one that isassociated with important work, one thatgives a person a feeling of accomplishment,and one that provides growth and thepotential to advance in responsibility.Individuals should also seek a professionwhere compensation reflects skills andaccomplishments. A desirable professionprovides stable employment, variety in thedaily routine, while keeping interest high andstress low. These are characteristics of anideal profession. While no profession is idealfor everyone, the safety profession scoresvery high on nearly all of these factors.

Some students may wonder if they have whatit takes to be a successful safety professional.Here are some important things to consider.Are they motivated by a desire to help others?Do they believe that it is important to servetheir neighbors and the community? Do theyplace a high value on health and the qualityof life? Such motivation would help thembe successful safety professionals, and atthe same time, provide a great sense ofsatisfaction in a job well done.

Successful safety professionals must developgood skills in working with people andcommunicating with them. Many of theseskills are gained during college and aftera degree is completed. Safety professionalswork with practically everyone in anorganization and should feel comfortable intalking and working with people of all agesand backgrounds.

Safety science is challenging, and the collegecourse work can be difficult, but interesting.Students will do quite well if they have goodstudy habits and are willing to work hard. Acollege degree is essential for most safetyprofessional positions. The more safetyscience courses students complete, the betterprepared they will be for a safety career. Thesafety professional must understand manytechnical concepts, so students who likescience and mathematics will probably findsafety science interesting.

Some students are not especially outstandingin any one particular academic area, but theyare excellent organizers. They enjoy planningand carrying out activities of all sorts, andwhen one event is completed, they are off tostart planning the next one. These areinterests and skills that can help them becomesuccessful managers in an organization.Managers set up programs to achieve agreed-upon objectives and draw together other partsof the organization to work on carrying themout. Many safety professionals hold positionsas managers, so planning and organizationskills are very important.

Many students entering college are absolutelycertain about the career they want to pursue.Many students still are not sure even afterthey graduate from college. Being uncertainabout a career is normal. It is quite commonfor students to change majors after they arein college.

While some may view the safety professionas being rather specialized, an undergraduatesafety curriculum is actually rather broad.

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Many colleges have a program that exposesstudents to a broad range of courses and fieldsof study. Such a program can help them findthose activities and ideas that interest themthe most. Undergraduate safety curriculumsrequire a relatively wide assortment ofcourses. This provides a reasonably goodpreparation for entering business or industryin any functional area.

Students in safety science complete businesscourses as well as mathematics and sciencecourses. They take courses incommunications and in the use of computers.These are subjects that will have a high value,even if they should later decide to switchmajors.

Most safety science curriculums offerinternship possibilities so that students canwork in a safety-related position before theygraduate. This is the ultimate test that aspiringpeople can use to answer the question,“Should I become a safety professional?”

How to Become aSafety Professional

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This section details the stages of educationand training necessary to become a safetyprofessional and how to continue practicingto accelerate the rate of success after enteringthe field.

High School Preparation

Any young person considering a career as asafety professional should take collegepreparation courses while in high school.Since the safety professional position isinterdisciplinary, it is important to have abroad background in science andmathematics, and to develop goodcommunication skills. Safety professionalsneed knowledge in biology, chemistry andphysics. They often use problem-solvingskills to identify, analyze, and controlhazards, and frequently work withengineering specialists.

Here are some good ways to learn about thesafety profession:• Talk to safety professionals about their

work.• Visit safety professionals at their places

of work and see what the job is all about.• Read about safety problems, accidents

or disasters in newspapers and magazinesand consider how these events could havebeen prevented.

• Do a science project on workplace safetyor health, consumer product safety,traffic safety, fire protection, or somesimilar subject.

• Visit industrial plants on field trips andask questions about safety programs.

There are a limited number of colleges thatoffer degrees in safety and related specialties.Students may contact the American Societyof Safety Engineers for a copy of thebrochure, Directory of College andUniversity Safety and Related DegreePrograms. This regularly updated pamphletlists colleges that offer degrees in safety andrelated fields. It tells which safety programsare accredited by a commission of theAccreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology (ABET). It is also important toselect a college or university which isaccredited as a post-secondary educationalinstitution by one of the six regionalaccrediting bodies recognized by theAmerican Counsel on Education (ACE).

Directories of college and universityprograms that are found in bookstores maynot list safety degree programs, but might stillprovide other valuable information about aschool. Information about costs, facilities,entrance requirements and other detailsmentioned in these directories can helpstudents select a school. Students can writeto the schools and safety degree programsthat interest them. The schools will provideup-to-date information about theirrequirements, programs and faculty.

Students can talk to their guidancecounselors, teachers and others who havebeen to college for advice in selecting one.They can help students decide whether acommunity college (two-year programsleading to an associate degree) or a collegeor university (four-year programs leading toa bachelor’s degree) is right for them.

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Community and TechnicalColleges

A number of community and junior collegesoffer an associate degree in safety or a relatedfield. People graduating from these programsare hired for limited positions in safety. Theymay help manufacturers, constructioncompanies or other industries meet OSHA’shazard control standards.

For some people, two-year degree programsare a good choice. They allow individuals tostart working in a field at an earlier stage ofeducation. There is usually a more flexibleclass schedule for those who work whilegoing to school. These schools usually costless than four-year colleges and universities.However, a two-year degree may not allowadvancement to the more challengingpositions in this field.

If students transfer to a four-year safetyprogram, they may not get full credit forassociate degree courses. Students shouldcheck with the four-year programs they mightwant to attend later. These programs advisestudents what courses they require and howmuch credit they allow. Also, they can advisestudents about standards they use inaccepting transfer students from two-yearprograms.

Four-Year Colleges andUniversities

A number of four-year colleges anduniversities offer undergraduate degrees insafety. Today, over 90% of those in the safetyprofession have earned at least a bachelor’sdegree. About 30% of those entering the fieldhave a bachelor’s degree in safety, whilemany move into safety from other disciplines(engineering, business, physical sciences,etc.) and later pursue safety studies.

A bachelor’s degree in safety provides a solidfoundation for work as a safety professional.A major in safety typically includespreparatory courses and professional coursesoutside of the major. To prepare for the safetyprofessional courses, college students arenormally required to take courses inmathematics through beginning calculus,statistics, chemistry with laboratory work,physics with laboratory work, humanphysiology or biology, and introductorycourses in business management,engineering mechanics and processes,speech, composition and psychology.Students in safety must also acquire goodcomputer skills, including the ability to usethe Internet and important business and safetysoftware packages.

Most preparatory courses are taken duringfreshmen and sophomore years. Professionalcourses are usually taken during junior andsenior years, along with some electives.Professional safety courses include safetyand health program management, design ofengineering hazard controls, industrialhygiene and toxicology, fire protection,ergonomics, environmental safety andhealth, system safety, accident/incidentinvestigation, product safety, constructionsafety, educational and training methods,assessment of safety performance, andbehavioral aspects of safety. Students mayalso elect to take specialty courses beyondthe required courses.

Most safety degree programs offerexperiential education courses. These coursesprovide opportunities for students to workwith safety professionals in companies or inpositions that offer developmentalexperience. These internship programsusually involve academic credit and mayinclude pay from the company ororganization with whom the student works.

Students seeking to enter safety degreeprograms should carefully review severalschools, their program offerings, entrancerequirements and the financial assistanceprovided. Some programs have enrollmentcaps and are quite selective in the numbersof students accepted.

Graduate Study in SafetyScience

About 40% of today’s safety professionalshave advanced degrees. Some of those withan advanced degree in safety graduated witha bachelor’s degree in a non-safety field.They may use a master’s degree in safety toprepare for and enter the safety profession.Some who get their safety preparation at thebachelor’s level also pursue graduate studyin safety or a safety-related specialty, suchas industrial hygiene, environmental science,public health or ergonomics. Some worktoward advanced degrees in related fields,such as business and engineering, that willenhance their career opportunities.

Several master’s degree programs in safetyare accredited by the Related AccreditationCommission of ABET or another of itscommissions. Typically, students enteringthese programs must have completed certainundergraduate safety courses, or they will berequired to complete some undergraduatecourses to adequately prepare themselves foradvanced courses in safety.

Graduate programs can offer different safetyspecialties besides advanced preparation insafety science. These specialties may be inmanagement, engineering and technology,environmental health, fire protection,ergonomics, industrial hygiene, or other areasof safety science.

A few schools offer doctoral studies in safetyscience or related subjects such as industrial

hygiene, public health, fire protectionengineering, environmental health orenvironmental studies. Most safety positionsdo not require a doctoral degree. However,teaching positions at universities andcolleges, research positions, and some high-level advisory positions for large employersand government agencies may require adoctoral degree. Doctoral programs,including those in safety, are not accreditedbecause each student has a customizedprogram. Schools are free to develop theirown specializations and degree requirements,but most involve some training in researchmethods and teaching theory.

Financial assistance at the graduate levelvaries considerably by program. In someprograms, nearly all graduate students haveteaching or research assistantships withtuition and fee waivers included. Someprograms offer scholarships or tuition and feewaiver assistance. Some have work-studyprograms, or have links with governmentagencies or companies that allow students towork and attend school at the same time.

Licensing and Certification

Because the work of safety professionals hasa direct impact on public safety and health,government organizations, employers andthose awarding contracts are concerned thatsafety professionals be fully qualified andcompetent to do their jobs. Safetyprofessionals may therefore need othercredentials in addition to their educationaldegree. These credentials might includelicenses, registration and professionalcertification. To date, no state requires safetyprofessionals to be licensed in order topractice. However, some states require fireprotection engineers to be registered.

The safety profession has established its ownprofessional certification program to provide

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some means for assessing professionalcompetency. The Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals, established in 1969, setscompetency standards for professional safetypractice, evaluates candidates’ qualifications,tests their knowledge through examinationsand offers the Certified Safety Professional®

(CSP®) designation to those who meet allrequirements.

It is preferred that applicants meet the modelacademic requirement (a bachelor’s degreein safety from an ABET-accredited program)and pass a two-level examination to receivethe CSP. Candidates must have at least anassociate’s degree in safety or a bachelor’sdegree in any field. In addition, candidatesnot meeting the model education requirementmust have more than the minimum of fouryears of professional safety experience.

The first examination toward the CSP(Safety Fundamentals) is designed to testbasic knowledge appropriate to professionalsafety practice. Students graduating fromaccredited four-year safety degree programsare permitted to take this examination duringtheir last semester. The second examination(Comprehensive Practice) focuses onapplications of typical professional practice.

Those holding the CSP designation must berecertified every five years, either through re-examination or by meeting standards forcontinuing education and professionalpractice. These standards encourage thesafety professional to be active in theprofession and to maintain the necessaryprofessional skills to practice effectively.

Today, professional certification through theCSP has become important to safetyprofessionals. A majority of employers preferor require applicants for safety positions tohold the CSP, particularly for mid-career orsenior positions. On average, CSPs earnabout $15,000 more per year than their peers

without certification. Over the last decade,the rate of pay increase was higher for thoseholding the CSP than for those without.

More and more government laws, regulationsand standards include the CSP. Contractsinvolving construction and other servicesoften include requirements that contractorsemploy safety professionals with the CSPcertification. While there are many titles anddesignations in safety, industrial hygiene,environmental practice and ergonomics in theUnited States only a few are accredited bynational organizations which set standards forvoluntary, peer certifications. The CSPdesignation is accredited by two nationalorganizations: National Commission forCertifying Agencies (NCCA) and Council ofEngineering and Scientific Speciality Boards(CESB). Many employers and governmentagencies use the national accreditations as astandard for employment and contracts.

OHST and CHST certifications can serve asstepping stones to the CSP (see moreinformation about these certifications onPage 50 or at www.cchest.org).

Professional Societies

A good way to stay current in safety is tobelong to a professional society. Suchorganizations have journals, conferences,symposiums and continuing educationcourses, while some may have local chapters.Some societies, such as the American Societyof Safety Engineers, have student sections atschools offering safety degrees. Thesesections have activities to help students learnabout the safety profession. Some activitiesin local chapters create opportunities to meetpracticing safety professionals. Thesecontacts often lead to internships andpermanent jobs. At a minimum, thesecontacts offer insight into current practice orthe ability to visit safety professionals in theirjob settings.

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Areas Where SafetyProfessionals Can Specialize

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Safety professionals work in many differentindustries, job settings and specialties. Thesummaries below give examples for manyof them.

Industrial Safety

Many safety professionals work inmanufacturing and production operations tohelp ensure that working conditions and workmethods are safe and healthful foremployees. Nearly every large plant orindustrial facility employs at least one full-time safety professional. Once safetyprofessionals recognize hazards, theyevaluate them, develop recommendations forcontrolling them and advise members of themanagement team. They also must be ableto advise management about the best meansfor complying with regulations.

Industrial safety professionals must observework activities and identify hazards in a widevariety of operations, such as lifting, workingin high places, handling chemicals, operatingmachinery, storing explosives, excavatingand repairing or maintaining equipment.They try to formulate plans and programs toprevent these hazards from happening.Industrial safety professionals must knowhealth, safety and fire protection regulationswhich apply to any operations.

They must prepare recommendations andadvise managers about the best means forcomplying with standards, reducing hazardsand making production activities safer.Industrial safety professionals need to be

good communicators, since they ofteninteract with employees, supervisors andmanagers when checking for hazards orworking on options to control them. Theyoften enlist employee participation in theseactivities. Frequently, they seek to persuademanagers and employees to changeoperations or procedures and to spend moneyto make people safer.

In addition, to be effective, the industrialsafety professional must be a part of themanagement team which improvesproductivity at the facility.

Industrial Hygiene

Industrial hygienists specialize in workers’exposure to chemical and physical hazardscreated by industrial processes. For example,they might evaluate exposure to airborne leadcreated by a battery manufacturing process,or they might measure the exposure to noiseproduced by a ripsaw in a furnituremanufacturing shop.

Most safety professionals have someresponsibilities in their practice for industrialhygiene that may not make them a specialist.

An industrial hygienist is trained to recognizehealth hazards, to evaluate their extent andto control them if an overexposure exists. Anindustrial hygienist evaluates hazards bystudying the process, measuring the exposureand comparing samples to acceptableexposure levels.

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The control of overexposure might involvechanging the process to eliminate the hazard,substituting a less hazardous material,isolating the process or the worker,ventilating the process, or providing personalprotection (for example, gloves andrespirators) to the worker.

Industrial hygienists generally have anundergraduate degree in engineering or thephysical, chemical, biological or safetysciences. Most industrial hygienists have amaster’s degree in industrial hygiene. Theymost often work for industries, governmentagencies and environmental consulting firms.A few industrial hygienists work in academicsettings as teachers and researchers. Workingin this setting generally requires a doctoraldegree.

Industrial hygienists do not generally needto be licensed to pursue their profession.However, most industrial hygiene specialistshold the Certified Industrial Hygiene (CIH)certification. This requires at least five yearsof relevant experience before the successfulcompletion of two examinations. CIHs mustmaintain their certification annually byattending professional meetings, furthereducation or other similar professionaldevelopment activities.

Environmental Safety

Protecting the environment in the U.S. is amassive effort being conducted on severalfronts. Businesses of all sorts are trying toeither eliminate the release of materials thatcan harm the public or damage theenvironment, or recover and recycle excessmaterials for environmental conservation.Another effort is being made all acrossAmerica to clean up waste sites where toxicsubstances were spilled or have been dumpedin the past. These efforts require the controlof environmental safety and health hazards.

Environmental safety work requiresextensive knowledge of OSHA standards,other government or client safety regulations,and an understanding of hazards and controls(that is, construction, ergonomics, fireprotection, industrial safety, industrialhygiene and environmental health). Inaddition, environmental safety requires aworking knowledge of environmental lawsand regulations, such as the ComprehensiveEnvironmental Response Compensation andLiability Act (CERCLA), the ResourceConservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), theToxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) andothers. Environmental safety professionalscan gain this knowledge from undergraduateor graduate studies, extensive on-siteexperience, or a combination of both.

There are three general areas where theenvironmental safety professional can pursuecareer opportunities:• Industrial/Government Sector: People

can serve as environmental safetyprofessionals for a specific facility ororganization involved with OSHA,Department of Transportation (DOT),and Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) compliance, and state health andsafety and environmental regulations.Additional duties may includeoverseeing the health and safety of on-site contractors.

• Consulting: People can work for designengineering firms and perform health andsafety functions for their government orindustrial projects. They can sell healthand safety services to outside clients,including the private and public sector.Additional health and safetyresponsibilities may involve overseeingthe health and safety of contractors whenan engineering firm is providingconstruction management or engineeringservices to a client.

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• Contracting: This role involves beingemployed by and providing in-househealth and safety services to remediationcontractors who actually clean uphazardous waste sites. Working in thisarena requires an extensive constructionbackground, since it involves hazardouswaste activities coupled with heavyconstruction work.

In all three situations, it is desirable for theenvironmental safety professional to pursueprofessional certifications, specifically theCertified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and theCertified Safety Professional (CSP). Manygovernment and private sector remediationprojects require that the person administeringthe health and safety program be certified asa CIH or a CSP. Consulting firms also valuecertifications because it makes the individual,and hence the firm, more attractive whenselling services.

It is desirable to have these certifications inany situation where an organization isoverseeing contractors and the projectspecifications require contractors to havecertified personnel. Although not alwaysrequired, it adds credibility if the primarycontractor also employs certified personnel.

Environmental safety specialists needcomprehensive knowledge of safety,industrial hygiene and environmental areas.With this wide range of knowledge, they canpursue a career in other health and safetyspecialties.

Fire Protection Engineering

Fire protection engineering is one of manyinteresting and challenging professionalsafety specialty areas. These safetyspecialists use the basic tools of engineeringand science to help protect people, propertyand operations from fire and explosions.

Employers and personnel recruitersconsistently report good job opportunitieswith competitive starting salaries for fireprotection engineers.

Fire protection engineers can be called on toprovide a broad range of services. Someperform fire safety evaluations of buildingsand industrial complexes to determine therisk of fire losses and how best to preventthem. Others design systems thatautomatically detect and suppress fires andexplosions, as well as fire alarm, smokecontrol, emergency lighting, communicationand exit systems. Fire protection engineersperform research on materials and consumerproducts, or do computer modeling of fireand smoke behavior. Others investigate firesor explosions that have occurred, preparetechnical reports or provide expert courtroomtestimony in legal cases.

Fire protection engineers work at the nervecenters of large corporations. They overseethe design and operational fire safety ofcomplex manufacturing facilities in multi-national business networks. They also workfor insurance companies, surveying majorfacilities and performing research, testing andanalysis.

Fire protection engineers can be found at alllevels of government, including civilian andmilitary agencies, local fire departments,building code departments and state firemarshal offices. They work for architecturaland engineering firms and specialtyconsulting groups. Interesting jobs areavailable in trade associations, testinglaboratories and at colleges and universities.

Thanks to the extensive fire research done inrecent decades, fire protection engineeringis making the transition from being basedonly on practical experience to an excitingengineering discipline that incorporates state-of-the-art science and computer capabilities.

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A few universities offer fire protection or fireprotection engineering degree programs atthe bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels.To obtain information on fire protectioncareers, students may contact the Society ofFire Protection Engineers. (See Resources,page 45.)

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of fitting the jobto the person. Most safety professionals mustdeal with ergonomics in general safetypractice. Ergonomics can be a specialty aswell. Ergonomists (also called human factorsengineers) specialize in the relationshipsbetween people and their work. They designthe work environment (such as facilities,machines, furniture, equipment, work-stations, tools and work methods) to matchjob demands with workers’ capabilities,limitations and expectations. A fundamentalprinciple of ergonomics is to designequipment and jobs to prevent errors,accidents, injuries or harm.

Ergonomists work on a wide variety of safetyand health hazards. Many ergonomists dealwith the physical aspects of work, such as:• Designing lifting tasks to reduce the risk

of back injuries.• Designing machines and equipment to

reduce the force, frequency and flexionof repeated tasks that eventually injurejoints, muscles and nerves. An exampleis designing machine guards that protectworkers while still allowing smooth,efficient motion.

• Designing chairs that promotecomfortable and healthy work postures.

• Designing work-rest schedules onphysically demanding jobs to preventexcessive fatigue.

Ergonomists who specialize in solving theseproblems usually have a strong background

in engineering, with additional course workin physiology, anatomy and biomechanics.

Other ergonomists focus on thepsychological and mental aspects of worksuch as:• Designing effective warning labels to

promote the safe operation of machinesand tools.

• Designing displays (gauges, dials,alarms, etc.) and controls (buttons,knobs, steering wheels, etc.) for vehiclesand other complex machines to reducethe chance of operator error andaccidents.

• Designing training aids (instructionbooks, videos, simulators, etc.) to teachworkers the proper and safe way toperform their jobs.

These ergonomists usually have a strongbackground in psychology with additionaltraining in engineering or design.

Most ergonomists have at least a master’sdegree, since there are few undergraduateprograms in ergonomics. Typically,ergonomists have undergraduate degrees inengineering or psychology before pursuingspecialization in ergonomics at the graduatelevel. However, students with undergraduatetraining in safety sciences can also beconsidered for graduate training inergonomics.

Career opportunities exist in industry(product design, work process and methodsdesign), government (OSHA complianceofficers), insurance companies (loss controlrepresentatives), private consulting andacademic settings (research and teaching).

System Safety

System safety specialists typically work withmajor new technological programs.

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Aerospace, military, medical, scientificallyadvanced projects and high-tech industrieshave relied on the system safety specialist todevelop concepts, designs and products thathave a high reliability of operation and lowlevel of risk.

Have you ever marveled at the complexityof the space shuttle? Have you read aboutthe complexity of software that manages thecontrols in today’s aircraft and guides a planesafely through the skies? Have you everthought about the management of materialsflowing through chemical plants and therange of temperatures, pressures andchemical steps they experience whileachieving the desired material? Each of thesedevices and processes works due to a highdegree of reliability. In each case, systemsafety specialists reviewed the concept,design and construction of these magnificentmachines and processes to ensure that theywork correctly every time, without harm tousers, operators or the equipment itself.

System safety is an analytical field, born ofa high-tech need to develop quality productsthat have a minimum potential for failure.The system safety specialist reviews thedesign concept to identify the hazardsassociated with a human or machine failure.During design, the specialist (sometimesreferred to as a system safety engineer)prescribes modifications to the design, oridentifies the need to install redundant orbackup systems to ensure reliability duringoperation. During testing, system safetyspecialists observe tests-in-progress or testresults to see firsthand how a systeminterfaces with its environment. In recentyears, this specialist has also been called onto ensure that safe decommissioning ofoutmoded systems occurs. Today they alsoanalyze software for potential faults whichcan cause harm to people or the systems.Some specialize in analyzing electrical

circuits and electrical systems and equipmentfor harmful events. Some work mainly withmechanical equipment and powered systems.Others work with chemical process plants toensure that failures do not cause fire,explosions or releases of hazardous materialsinto the community.

The system safety specialist uses a varietyof tools to identify possible system faults orother hazards that may lead to the failure ofa product during its use. These traditionalanalytical tools consist of preliminary hazardanalyses (PHA), failure mode and effectsanalyses (FMEA) and fault tree analysis(FTA). Newer tools, such as hazard andoperability studies (HAZOPS), have beendeveloped to meet the demands of newapplications such as chemical processes andindustrial manufacturing methods.

If you enjoy asking “who, what, when, where,why, how, and if,” you may have an aptitudefor system safety work.

You will also need a technical backgroundthat is either general or involves special areasof knowledge, such as mechanicalequipment, electrical equipment andelectronics, computer hardware and software,chemical processes, management methodsand procedures, maintenance, etc. Systemsafety specialists combine knowledge of thesystems and knowledge of analyticalmethods with hazard recognition, evaluationand control knowledge.

The system safety specialist will be indemand in the foreseeable future to protectemployees and the public, the environmentand the organization’s investment inequipment, processes and facilities. Thisspecialist will have opportunities to advancethrough technical or management careerladders.

Risk Management

Organizations of all kinds must minimize theadverse effects of accidental losses at themost reasonable cost. To do this, they relyon the knowledge and services of riskmanagers. Virtually all large organizations,and many smaller ones, maintain a riskmanagement department to reduce thelikelihood and size of losses (known as riskcontrol) and to pay for those losses thatcannot be prevented (also known as riskfinance). Risk management is an integral partof modern organizational management. Byprotecting a company against loss, the riskmanager helps it to boost its operatingefficiency and meet its strategic goals.

Risk managers are employed by industrial,service, non-profit and public sectororganizations. For example, they serveairlines, banks, chemical and othermanufacturers, government agencies,municipalities, retailers, hospitals, schooldistricts and universities.

As organizations differ, so do the types ofrisks and losses they may encounter. Forexample, in addition to protecting people,physical premises, and inventory, a retailstore risk manager seeks to minimizeshoplifting and vandalism. A factory usinghazardous equipment or substances isconcerned with employee safety and health.It may issue protective clothing andequipment and provide specialized trainingto employees.

The basic skills required of the risk managerinclude communications, analysis andproblem solving, management andleadership. First and foremost, risk managersmust be good communicators. They must becapable of coordinating and interacting withother departments. The position requiresregular contact with such departments as

auditing, engineering, finance, humanresources, legal, research and development,safety and security.

Risk management also involves working withexternal sources, such as attorneys, brokers,consultants, insurance agents, insurers andother service providers. In addition tounderstanding these varied specialties, therisk manager must master the complexitiesof the organization’s own operations.

A sound knowledge of insurancefundamentals and risk financing mechanismsis also essential. The risk manager must knowwhich potential losses can be retainedthrough some form of self-insurance andwhich risks need to be insured, for how muchand with which vendor. They recognizewhether claims are being handled properlyor not, and if appropriate insurance coverageis available.

The risk manager must also thoroughly grasploss control issues such as employee health,worker and product safety, propertysafeguards, fire prevention andenvironmental protection. The risk managermust be able to manage time and peopleskillfully by setting goals, planningstrategies, delegating tasks and forecastingand measuring results.

For a career in risk management, a bachelor’sdegree with a broad business background isrecommended. A major in risk managementor insurance is highly desirable. Manyadditional fields of study are also appropriate,including safety and health, accounting,economics, engineering, finance, law,management and political science. Inaddition, many firms require candidates tohave a master’s degree in businessadministration (MBA) and to earn anAssociate in Risk Management (ARM) orother insurance or risk designation.

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Risk managers work for corporations, serviceproviders, government administrations andnumerous other public and privateorganizations. Some risk managers joininsurance companies, insurance brokeragefirms or consulting firms that provide riskmanagement services to clients. The structureof risk management departments varies withthe nature and size of the organization.

Loss Control

Loss control is a term used in the insuranceindustry. Insurance companies sellingworkers’ compensation, property and otherforms of business insurance often help theirclients prevent incidents and accidents thatlead to insurance claims.

Each insurance company develops its ownsafety consulting services around the kindsof businesses that it insures. Loss controlrepresentatives provide safety consultingservice to policyholders. The emphasis of thisconsulting service is preventing injuries,illnesses and property losses and thusreducing costs, a benefit to both thepolicyholder and the insurance company.Consulting strategies typically includeidentifying and evaluating hazardousexposures, developing plans to control themand providing follow-up services.

To identify accident exposures, loss controlrepresentatives analyze accidents or nearaccidents or conduct walk-through surveysof work sites to identify potential hazardexposures. The loss control representativethen evaluates the exposures and developsrecommendations to eliminate or reducethem. Once these recommendations areimplemented, the loss control representativefollows up to evaluate how effective they areand to determine if more changes might beneeded to reduce the exposure even more.

Loss control representatives provide otherconsulting activities, such as safety training,industrial hygiene services, safety programdevelopment and evaluation, ergonomics,construction safety, product safety,environmental safety, fleet safety, fireinspections and accident investigations.Some loss control representatives specializein one of these areas.

Another responsibility of loss controlrepresentatives is to assist the insurancecompany’s underwriting department inevaluating the desirability of policyholdersfor specific types of insurance coverage. Thisresponsibility involves a continual evaluationof the policyholder’s accident rates andexposures, as well as their efforts to reducethe problems identified.

As a rule, loss control representatives travelextensively to visit their clients’ worksites.They usually have wide latitude to structuretheir own travel and work schedules and todo much of their report writing at home.Because clients may be involved in anextremely wide range of business activities,loss control representatives become familiarwith many different kinds of businesses andtheir associated hazards. The opportunity tospecialize in a variety of safety activities, aswell as to obtain experience in several typesof industries, makes loss control a veryrewarding career for many safetyprofessionals.

A growing trend among large companies isto be self-insured. In essence, they operatetheir own insurance in accordance with statelaws where it is permitted. As a result, therehas been some decline in loss controlpositions among business insurancecompanies. Some positions have shifted tothe self-insured organizational unit within thelarge companies.

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Chemical Process Safety

Many of the modern materials and essentialproducts we take for granted everyday aremade possible by the chemical industry.Fuels, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals,textiles, paper products, plastics andindustrial chemicals are some chemicalindustry products. Each chemical productinvolves a very different chemical process,which is one of the reasons why the chemicalindustry is very dynamic. Each process hasits own starting materials, processingequipment and operating temperatures andpressures—because of this, each process hasa unique set of hazards.

While manufacturing chemical products, itis the responsibility of the chemicalmanufacturer to maintain a safe workingenvironment for employees and a safeenvironment for the people and communitiessurrounding their plants. The chemicalprocess safety professional plays a key rolein this responsibility.

Chemical process safety involves analyzingchemical processes to identify the potentialfor accidents. This is done so that chemicalcompanies can act to prevent these accidents.And if they should happen, the companiesare better prepared to handle theconsequences.

This discipline can be broken into fourgeneral areas: assessment, technical support,training and management. It is the job ofchemical process safety professionals toassess a chemical process in order to identifypotential hazards. They also provide technicalsupport to those who design new processes,and those who operate existing processes, sothat they can be aware of process hazards andtake steps to prevent chemical accidents fromoccurring. Chemical process safety alsoinvolves training employees who work with

the processes on how to recognize chemicalhazards, and prevent or respond to accidents.

These safety professionals may also becomeinvolved in process safety management. Thismeans that they coordinate a company’ssafety efforts and work with other managersto help chemical process safety become moreefficient and effective.

Chemical process safety is still a fairly newfield. Its modern version began in the early1970s. It gained momentum in 1984 after achemical process disaster in Bhopal, Indiaresulted in the death of thousands of citizens.

Because this profession is so new,practitioners entering the field still have anopportunity to truly impact and shape thefuture of the discipline. Much progress hasbeen made within the last few years, butmuch more progress will occur in the nearfuture. Students entering the field now canbe a part of this development.

Chemical process safety benefits industry bypreventing the types of accidents thatotherwise make the headlines and damagethe environment, destroy chemicalprocessing plants, and cause serious injuriesto employees. Chemical process safetybenefits society by reducing the possibilityof hazardous chemical releases uponcommunities or the environment. It also helpsthe chemical industry to find ways to safelymanufacture the products that are in demandby modern society.

In summary, chemical process safety is agood career area to consider because itprovides many benefits to industry and tosociety and offers many job opportunities,both technical and managerial. It also willbe rewarding to the person who chooses toenter this safety-related specialty.

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Construction Safety

Construction sites are as different from oneanother as are people. They vary in size fromsmall road repair jobs and buildingrenovations to the construction of hugeskyscrapers, enormous bridges and massivepower plants. But, they have at least one thingin common: large pieces of equipment, tonsof structural materials and dangerous heightswhich create safety and health hazards thatcan take a life in the blink of an eye. Theyalso require the presence of constructionworkers, whose health and well-being dependon the effectiveness of hazard controlprograms designed by construction safetyprofessionals.

Construction safety professionals recognizeand control a wide variety of safety, healthand fire hazards in unique and ever-changingwork environments. The need forconstruction safety professionals continuesto expand since construction is one of themost hazardous industries.

A construction safety practitioner could beemployed by a medium to large constructioncompany, a contractor trade organization, anorganized labor group, a government agency,an insurance company, an engineering firmor a consulting firm.

An undergraduate degree in safety combinedwith general construction managementcourses or construction experience will helpindividuals begin a career in this specialty.Working for a large construction companywill generally require periodic relocation orfrequent travel to project sites. Many largeconstruction companies also operate outsidethe U.S. With the expansion of the globalconstruction market, the need forconstruction safety professionals at sitesoutside the U.S. will increase.

Eight-hour days are normal for safetyprofessionals employed in the constructionindustry. But weather conditions,performance and completion deadlinesfrequently dictate extended work hours.

A large construction workplace is typicallysupervised by a management/engineeringcompany that employs a general contractor(GC) to erect, renovate or demolish astructure. The GC then employs andschedules the necessary specialty contractors,such as excavation, steel erection, masonry,mechanicals, roofing, carpentry, painters andothers, to perform specified tasks. Largeprojects could have ten or more sub-contractors working at one site at the sametime.

Because construction site organizations vary,a construction safety professional mustpossess the ability to communicateeffectively within an organization having avariety of management styles and a diversework force.

Construction methods, equipment, workingconditions and materials continually changeon a construction site. Through weekly ormonthly work planning sessions andcontinuous monitoring of job sites and workgroups, safety professionals can identifyhazards early and ensure that controls forthem are in place as each kind of work begins.

If you enjoy fast-paced activities, constantdaily challenges outdoors, hands-on workingconditions, and minimal time working at adesk, you are likely to enjoy working inconstruction safety. If you can workeffectively with a variety of tradespeople, youwill appreciate the financial and personalrewards associated with good hard work andwill do well as a safety professional in theconstruction industry.

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Institutional Safety Management

A career in institutional safety can present avariety of exciting and rewarding challenges.Institutional safety typically encompasseshazard control in organizations such ashospitals, correctional facilities (prisons andjails), research facilities or schools at alllevels.

Hospitals, correctional facilities anduniversities are typically large employers andare often part of large organizations. Thispresents the trained safety professional withthe opportunity for career enhancement andgrowth.

Hospitals and nursing homes face a widerange of government and industryregulations. For example, the JointCommission on Accreditation of HealthcareOrganizations has numerous self-regulatingstandards, including safety standards, for theindustry. National fire and building codesfor hospitals and nursing homes have manysafety provisions and become law whenadopted by federal, state and localgovernment. In addition, OSHA and EPAregulations affect this industry, as well.

The hospital safety professional also has theunique opportunity to work with people fromdiverse backgrounds and interests. A hospitalprovides a wide array of experience, fromthe surgeon who is concerned about exposingemployees to an infectious plume duringlaser surgery and the nursing supervisorattempting to prevent back injuries whilehandling patients, to the laboratorytechnicians seeking to control the emissionof chemicals used in preparing tissuesamples. The hospital safety professionalmust constantly assess the environment,seeking methods to minimize hazards thatcould result in injury or loss.

Colleges and universities have safetyprofessionals who help protect students,faculty and staff from harm during laboratoryclasses and research projects. They managerisks for maintenance, food service and officeemployees. They handle the disposal ofchemicals and other hazardous materialsused in laboratory work or in maintenanceof building and grounds. They deal withcampus traffic safety and other risks.

One of the major concerns for theinstitutional safety professional is fireprevention and suppression. Whether it’s ahospital, where many of the patients areunable to walk, a university dormitory, or acorrectional facility, where the inmates’safety has to be balanced against the needfor confinement, the safety professional mustcontinually assess the environment, and lookfor ways to prevent fires.

Many institutions maintain state-of-the-artfire detection and suppression systems, whichthe safety professional will help to design andmaintain. Employees must also be highlytrained in procedures for suppressing fires,and recovering from them, all the whileminimizing any possible disruptions toservice.

Institutional safety professionals must havea true generalist’s background, with trainingin industrial safety, fire safety, industrialhygiene, chemical safety, radiation safety andergonomics. Employers are looking forcandidates who have attained a minimum ofa bachelor’s in safety. Employers are alsoincreasingly seeking Certified SafetyProfessionals (CSPs).

The long-term outlook for professionalsspecializing in institutional safety lookspromising. With the onset of managed careand competition in health care, hospitaladministrators are realizing that to succeed,

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they must manage extremely efficientoperations. Safety has been integrated as akey management strategy aimed at reducinglosses and claims. As a result, the safetyprofessional has been teamed with other keyhospital administrators whose function is tomanage risk. Safety professionals are alsomoving into management roles incorrectional facilities and universities asthese organizations seek to control their risksmore effectively.

Transportation Safety

Safety professionals play an important rolein the safety of all forms of transportation:railroads, auto, trucking, aviation, maritimeshipping and oil and gas pipelines. Thereare safety professionals working forcompanies and government agenciesassociated with each transportation mode.Some work with designers of vehicles,highways and the transportation systemsthemselves. A degree in civil or mechanicalengineering is most useful in this role. Afew work in research and studies of accidentsand injuries related to transportation.

Some of the federal agencies involved intransportation safety include: NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration(auto), Federal Highway Administration(highways and trucking), Federal AviationAdministrations (aviation), Federal RailroadAdministration (rail systems), U.S. CoastGuard (maritime) and Research and SpecialPrograms Administration (pipelines). Theseand other agencies are part of the U.S.Department of Transportation (DOT). Aseparate agency, the National TransportationSafety Board (NTSB) investigates majortransportation accidents and makesrecommendations for preventingtransportation accidents. NTSB safetyspecialists have advanced training in accidentinvestigation.

The majority of safety professionals involvedin transportation safety work for privatecompanies, such as airlines, railroads, largetrucking firms or oil and gas pipelinecompanies.

Safety Research & RiskAssessment

As with any discipline, the body ofknowledge that guides the science andpractice of safety continues to grow. Muchof what is regarded as good theory andpractice was discovered by practitionersthrough trial and error, or was simplyborrowed from related disciplines. Relyingon these traditional methods is changing,because more people are entering theprofession with formal academic training.

Undergraduate and graduate educations areexposing professionals to the subtleties ofresearch questions and methodology. Thisheightened awareness, in turn, produces ademand for better research-based knowledgeas these educated professionals go about theirduties. The demand for more sophisticatedresearch is being met by several differentgroups of researchers.

Much research is performed by governmentagencies such as the National Institute forOccupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) orthe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).These agencies, as well as otherorganizations, also fund research projects thatare carried out at universities and privateresearch organizations. For example, theAmerican Society of Safety EngineersFoundation is one professional organizationthat sponsors safety research projects. Largecompanies often fund research whichbenefits their own safety functions, productsor services.

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Actual research topics can fall into severalbroad areas. Much research is performed intechnical areas, such as the design andreliability of safety equipment, ergonomicsor fire safety. Other research promotes theunderstanding of management theory andpractices applied to safety. A third area ofresearch is in the decision sciences, wherequestions involving risk assessment andpolicy analysis techniques are explored.Another area of study involves how wellhazard controls work.

Those interested in pursuing a career in safetyresearch will need a strong academicbackground (master’s or doctorate degree)combined with practical experience in safety.Research specialists usually work forgovernment agencies with a researchresponsibility, at large universities or incompany sponsored laboratories. There arealso a few industry sponsored laboratories,such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL),Factory Mutual (FM), the Insurance Institutefor Highway Safety and the Liberty MutualInsurance Research Center.

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Profiles of Safety Professionals

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This section contains career summaries ofselected individuals in the safety profession.The profiles provide a cross section of ca-reer options and illustrate advancement op-portunities. The profiles represent threegroups: early career level (people in their first

decade of practice), mid-career level (10 to15 years of practice), and senior career level(20 or more years of practice). Some alsorepresent specialty practice areas discussedin the previous section.

EARLY CAREER LEVEL

Melba Jo Gaither

Ms. Gaither became interested in safetythrough her past employment and priormilitary service. Safety duties were part ofher job responsibilities. She found a safetydegree program at a school near her home.

She feels that keys to her success are awillingness to learn as much as possible,learning how to use reference materials tofind answers, networking with other safetyprofessionals, learning how to work withothers and gaining insights into safetypractice. Other keys are developing selfconfidence and being able to communicatewith employers whose workplaces she mustinspect and gaining their respect.

Ms. Gaither finds the comradeship of co-workers is rewarding along with an everchanging career that does not allow one toget bored.

Degrees:• BS, Occupational Health and Safety,

1999, Southeastern Oklahoma State

University, Durant, OK• ASSE Foundation scholarship recipientTime in Safety Profession:

Less than one yearCurrent Position:

Occupational Health and SafetyCompliance Officer, U.S. Department ofLabor, Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration

Memberships:• American Society of Safety EngineersCertifications:

Working toward Certified SafetyProfessional

David T. Hart

Mr. Hart learned about the safety professionfrom his father, who is in this career fieldand has safety, health and environmentalresponsibility for a manufacturing company.Also, he lived in Murray, KY, and becameacquainted with the safety degree programsat Murray State University.

During his academic training, Mr. Hartcompleted internships to gain experience andbecame involved in professional activitiesthrough the student section of ASSE at

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Murray State, where he served as thepresident of the section. He also worked part-time in safety while in graduate school.

In an internship with the Boilermaker’sUnion, he gained experience in constructionsafety through travel to 25 construction sites.He trained union crafts persons in basichazard recognition in construction. Duringgraduate school he worked part-time in safetyfor his current employer through a co-opposition. Experience in both of thesepositions, combined with his academicpreparation, developed professional safetyjob skills and provided leverage in gaininghis current position. After completing hismaster’s degree, he worked for two years asa Process Safety Management Coordinatorfor a chemical manufacturing companybefore gaining his current position. In hiscurrent position, Mr. Hart is responsible foremergency planning and response, fireprotection, industrial hygiene, security andtraining. He will soon oversee the work offour safety officers and the plant fire andrescue department.

Mr. Hart feels the keys to his success havebeen involvement in ASSE, gainingexperience through co-op and internprograms, and working harder than others.

He feels that the most rewarding aspects ofhis career have been having responsibility tohis employer and the community, workingwith all levels of people, and good pay andbenefits.

His advises that the factors leading to successinclude getting a good education (also anadvanced degree), pursuing CSP and CIHcertifications, working for a qualityorganization, acquiring patience anddeveloping leadership skills throughprofessional society activities and training.

Degrees:• BS, Occupational Safety and Health,

May 1997• MS, Occupational Safety and Health

(Industrial Hygiene emphasis), 1998,Murray State University, Murray, KY

Time in Safety Profession:Two years

Current Position:Safety Supervisor, Air Products andChemicals, Inc.

Memberships:• American Society of Safety EngineersCertifications:• Emergency Medical Technician• Red Cross CPR/First Aid

Rebecca (St. Clair) Wagner

Ms. Wagner found out about safety as aprogram of study and career choice fromfriends who were about to graduate with adegree in safety science. After trying a coursein safety and enjoying it, she chose safetyscience as her major.

During her studies, Ms. Wagner completedcooperative work at the Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory andlater had an internship there. Aftergraduation, she began working in her currentposition at Towson University. She is alsopursuing a master’s degree at the Universityof Maryland.

She feels the keys to her success werestudying under knowledgeable andexperienced faculty, gaining job experienceprior to graduation, and developing aprofessional network through herparticipation in ASSE.

She recommends trying out the safety field.She finds the career opportunities to bediverse and the work satisfying andrewarding.

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Degrees:• BS, Safety Science, Indiana University

of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA• ASSE Foundation Scholarship RecipientTime in Safety Profession:

Two yearsCurrent Position:

Environmental Safety Manager, TowsonUniversity

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Initially a student member and currentlya professional member in a local chapter)

Certifications:Preparing for the Certified SafetyProfessional

Sunshyne Chapman

Ms. Chapman’s mother, who had taken safetycourses, encouraged her to try a safetyprogram.

Ms. Chapman completed an internship withthe Oklahoma Department of Labor whichled to her current position. In voluntaryprofessional activities, she has served on theOklahoma Governor’s Safety and HealthConference Committee for two years.

She attributes her success to working hardand learning from others. She recommendsdeveloping interactive skills with people anddeveloping a desire to make safety a lifestyle.

Degrees:• BS, Industrial Safety, 1999• MEd, Industrial Safety, 2000, University

of Central Oklahoma, Edmon, OK• ASSE Foundation Scholarship Recipient

(Multiple scholarships)• Carl Albert FellowshipTime in Safety Profession:

One yearCurrent Position:

Safety Coordinator, OklahomaDepartment of Labor

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers• Oklahoma Safety CouncilCertifications:

None

Matthew Looker

Mr. Looker found out about the safetyprofession while in high school. He startedcollege as a civil engineering major, butchanged schools and chose a major in safetyengineering technology.

Prior to his current position, he worked as anEnvironmental, Occupational Safety &Health Specialist at George WashingtonUniversity. Mr. Looker believes a diverseeducational background in all areas of safetyand early work experience are keys to hissuccess. He finds rewarding the dailyapplication of safety into company operationsand the reduction of injury rates and costs.He recommends having a diverse backgroundin order to be able to wear the many differenthats in a safety position.

Degrees:• BS, Safety Engineering Technology,

Fairmont State College, Fairmont, WVTime in Safety Profession:

Three yearsCurrent Position:

Occupational Safety & Health Specialist,COMAIR, Delta Connection Airline

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Served as an officer of the FairmontState College student section)

Certifications:Preparing for the Certified SafetyProfessional

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MID-CAREER LEVEL

Jonathan A. Jacobi

Mr. Jacobi first learned about the safetyprofession from a neighbor’s friend, who wasa fire protection engineer and expressed greatpersonal satisfaction with his career. Helocated a degree program near his home atMurray State University and entered thatprogram.

The first job for Mr. Jacobi was in a safetyconsulting firm which provided strongmentoring and many learning opportunitiesin a variety of work environments, such asnuclear, automotive and semiconductorindustries. After returning to school andcompleting a master’s degree, he acceptedhis current position.

He feels that a strong work ethic was aprimary factor in his success. In addition,part-time safety jobs provided workexperience and extracurricular activities andachieving professional credentials increasedhis employment opportunities.

The most rewarding aspects for Mr. Jacobiinclude recognition for work well done,respect of peers, compensation appropriateto increasing responsibility, and knowing thathe has the appreciation of employees heprotects.

He would advise looking past the short-termrewards of a position and focusing on thosefactors which keep you coming back to yourjob.

Degrees:• BS, Occupational Safety & Health, 1994• MS, Occupational Safety & Health,

1998, Murray State University, Murray,KY

• Rho Sigma Kappa Honor Society

Time in Safety Profession:Six years

Current Position:Safety Engineer, Philip Morris USA

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Student section and professionalmember in local chapter)

• Semiconductor Safety Association(Student chapter)

Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Construction Health and Safety

Technician

Denise R. Ditmore

Ms. Ditmore entered college as acommunications major and learned about thesafety degree program from friends alreadyin the program. She was attracted to thesafety field by the professional success offormer students. While completing herundergraduate degree in safety, she held aposition as safety coordinator at a local retailstore. Later, while completing her degree,she completed an internship at SmithKlineBeecham Pharmaceuticals. This led to aposition with the same company as a Health,Safety and Environmental Affairs Technicianfollowing graduation. After two years, shereturned to school to complete her master’sdegree in safety sciences. Then she acceptedher current position. In addition, she hasserved as a part-time instructor in safety atMillersville University.

Her overall goal is to become a safetyeducator at a university offering a safetydegree. While in her current position, she ispursuing a doctoral degree that will qualifyher as a safety educator.

She attributes her success to the dedicationand devotion of her college professors,particularly during her undergraduate work

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at Millersville University, and the mentoringthey provided.

Learning that co-workers have made lifestylechanges that improve their health and well-being on and off the job is the most rewardingaspect of her job. She advises safetyprofessionals to remain strong anddetermined in pursuing safety goals for thoseco-workers and employees served andremaining ethical in professional practice.

Degrees:• BS, Occupational Safety & Hygiene

Management, 1996, MillersvilleUniversity, Millersville, PA

• MS, Safety Sciences, 1998, IndianaUniversity of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA

• Currently pursuing an Ed.D. in HigherEducation, Widener University, Chester,PA

• ASSE Foundation Scholarship Recipient(Several scholarships)

• Rho Sigma Kappa Honor SocietyTime in Safety Profession:

Five yearsCurrent Position:

Environmental, Health and SafetySpecialist and Compliance TrainingManager, SYNTHES (USA)

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers• American Conference of Governmental

Industrial Hygienists• International Facility Management

Association• National Association for Female

ExecutivesCertifications:

Pursuing the Certified SafetyProfessional

Carl Heinlein

Mr. Heinlein became interested in the safetyprofession through friends who had gained

success in safety. While in school, he had aninternship with a local hospital, where hetaught CPR and first aid. Later he internedwith the National Institute for OccupationalSafety and Health. He was initially employedas a Safety Specialist for Federal Express.Then he became the Associate Director ofSafety and Health Services for theAssociation of General Contractors ofAmerica. After three years, he became theirDirector of Safety and Health Services andheld that position until accepting his currentposition.

He feels that the keys to his success aresurrounding himself with provenprofessionals, being willing to learn, stayingactive in professional safety organizationsand reminding himself daily that “I have thebest job in the country.” Mr. Heinlein findsrewarding the ability to help people go homesafely to their loved ones at the end of eachday.

Advice for success as a safety professionalfrom Mr. Heinlein includes getting involvedwith your professional and industryorganizations, ask questions, be a goodlistener, strive to be the best, surroundyourself with positive people and network,network, network.

Degrees:• BS, Business Administration, 1989• MS, Safety and Environmental

Management, 1992, West VirginiaUniversity, Morgantown, WV

Time in Safety Profession:Seven years

Current Position:Director of Construction Services, FDR& Associates

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Student chapter officer, currentlyinvolved in government affairs in local

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chapter and in the Construction PracticeSpecialty)

• National Safety Council (TransportationDivision & Construction Division)

• National Safety Management SocietyCertifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Occupational Health and Safety

Technologist• Working toward the Associate in Risk

Management

Christopher A. Janicak

Dr. Janicak learned about public safety fromvolunteer work for a local police departmentwhile in high school. After enrolling at theUniversity of Illinois, he learned of the safetyand health degree program from anotherstudent and the university catalog andeventually switched majors.

After completing his master’s degree, Dr.Janicak worked as a loss control consultantfor an insurance company. Then, for severalyears, he was the safety coordinator of threesuburban park districts near Chicago. Hethen began teaching in a safety degreeprogram at Southeastern Oklahoma StateUniversity, followed by a similar position atIllinois State University. He advanced inresponsibility to his current position.

Dr. Janicak claims the keys to his successare working hard, keeping current with thesafety profession and developing skills inteaching and research. His professionalrewards come from students who report thathe influenced their lives and from researchresults that improve the lives of others.

He recommends that someone in the safetyprofession must be prepared for a lifelonglearning experience and a profession thatbrings different challenges each day. Henotes that what you get out of a career islargely a result of what you put into it.

Degrees:• BS, Health and Safety Studies, 1985,

University of Illinois, Urbana, IL• MS, Industrial Technology, Industrial

Safety Concentration, 1986, Illinois StateUniversity, Normal, IL

• Ph.D. in Research Methodology, 1993,Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago,IL

Time in Safety Profession:Fourteen years

Current Position:Associate Professor and Director of theSafety Degree Program, Illinois StateUniversity

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Held many offices in local chapter andserved on national committees)

• Safety and Health Educators Group(Membership chair)

Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Associate in Risk Management

David de Vries

Mr. de Vries became interested in safety afterwitnessing serious accidents in a printingplant where he worked after completing highschool. He learned about the safety fieldthrough a chance reading of a long-standingreference, Accident Prevention Manual, andthen learning about the Illinois Institute ofTechnology program.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, heworked as an engineer investigating fires andexplosions. He progressed to a more seniorrole which involved designing fire protectionsystems and evaluating buildings and otherfacilities for compliance with fire and relatedsafety codes and standards. Then he becamea project director and provided consultingservices related to fire and safety codes andstandards development. In his currentposition, Mr. de Vries manages standards

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development for ASSE and coordinates theactivities of twelve professional safetypractice specialties.

The keys to success as seen by Mr. de Vriesinclude having a solid education, achievinghis engineering license and professionalsafety certification. He is personallyrewarded by having developed andmaintained standards which protect peoplein workplaces and buildings throughout theUnited States and in foreign countries. Hisadvice for success in safety is to pursue itwith a passion and you will grow as a personand a professional.

Degrees:• BS, Fire Protection and Safety

Engineering, 1985, Illinois Institute ofTechnology, Chicago, IL

Time in Safety Profession:Fifteen years

Current Position:Director, Practices and Standards,American Society of Safety Engineers

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers• National Fire Protection Association• Society of Fire Protection Engineers• American Society of Heating,

Refrigeration and Air ConditioningEngineers

• Various standards writing committeesCertifications:• Licensed Professional Engineer (Illinois)• Certified Safety Professional

Philip Jacobs

Mr. Jacobs developed a personal interest insafety and worked as a consultant for about12 years. Along the way, he returned tocollege to pursue his interest in safety througha master’s program. Then he accepted hiscurrent position in ergonomics, a newer areaof safety practice of special interest to Mr.

Jacobs. There were few jobs in ergonomicsearly in his career.

He feels that the keys to his success wereprofessional training and continuingeducation and advises that academic andprofessional preparation is a must.

Degrees:• Bachelor of General Studies, 1980• MS, Occupational Health and Safety

Engineering, 1987, University ofMichigan, Ann Arbor, MI

• Pursuing a Master of Public Health inInjury Epidemiology, University ofMinnesota, St. Paul, MN

Time in Safety Profession:Fifteen years

Current Position:Senior Ergonomist, 3M Corporation, St.Paul, MN

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

(local chapter offices)Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional

SENIOR CAREER LEVEL

Scott Nikodym

Mr. Nikodym became interested in safetythrough an acquaintance while completinghis bachelor’s degree. He applied foradmission to the master’s program andreceived a federal grant to cover expenses.He began his career working as an associatesafety engineer for a company whichmanufactured fuel tanks for the space shuttle.He initially performed industrial hygienework for manufacturing operations and thenmoved into safety training, occupationalsafety, radiation protection and otherresponsibilities that provided a broad learningbase. His career progressed through the ups

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and downs of aerospace contract work, butplaced him in high technology environments,such as space shuttle launch facilities andsystems, aviation electronics manufacturing,development of global positioning systems,cutting edge research in robotics, automation,information technology, environmental andsensing science, and aircraft and spaceresearch. His assignments involved industrialhygiene and occupational safety work,systems safety analysis, development ofsafety management software, and safetysupport for aviation and aerospace test andmaintenance program staff. Most positionsinvolved roles as a safety engineer withprogressively higher levels of responsibility.

Mr. Nikodym feels that keys to his successincluded a solid educational background,working in job settings that offeredopportunities to learn, having mentors whohelped him progress, treating people well,learning from mistakes and applying thelessons learned, maintaining an interest intechnology and being persistent throughdifficult situations.

He feels that the most rewarding aspects ofhis career involved making recommendationsthat he later learned prevented injuries anddeath for people he knew, having theopportunity to work in unique jobenvironments that are highly technical innature and continually learning how thingswork.

Mr. Nikodym offers two words of advice.First, you will feel a great deal of satisfactionfrom preventing harm. Second, takeadvantage of the opportunities that surroundyou and you will be surprised at what youcan accomplish and to where thoseopportunities lead.

Degrees:• Bachelor of Biology, 1979

• Master of Industrial Safety, 1980,University of Minnesota - Duluth

Time in Safety Profession:20 years

Current Position:Safety and Quality Assurance Manager,Sverdrup Technology, Inc., AerospaceTesting and Facility Operations andMaintenance Group

Memberships:• American Society of Safety EngineersCertifications:• Certified Safety Professional

Henry J. Smahlik

Mr. Smahlik started college with a major inelectrical engineering. He found that hisinterest in human interaction was missingfrom that major. One day while reading abulletin board in an engineering building, hebecame engaged in conversation with aprofessor about safety and a career in safety.It seemed to add the human interactivitycomponent he sought. He changed majorsand started on a new career path.

Mr. Smahlik’s first job was in the Texasoilfield as a field safety engineer. He foundhe could make a difference by preventingaccidents and saving his employer money.His responsibility grew and broadened toinclude industrial hygiene and environmentalservices. As a result he became morevaluable to his employer. His careeradvanced to positions with several companiesas Director of Safety and Health and Vice-President and Director of Safety and Health.

He identifies four keys to his success:flexibility by being able to apply safety,industrial hygiene and environmentalperspectives to a safety problem;communication of complex problems tomanagement and other levels of a company;integrity in personal and business relations;and sincerity in dealing with human lives.

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Mr. Smahlik’s greatest job satisfaction comesfrom being able to identify a problem,following it through to solution and receivingthanks from professional peers and co-workers for making their lives better.

His advice for someone entering the safetyfield is: “If you want to make a difference inpeople’s lives, you will like the safetyprofession and if you do not like to deal withhumans daily, don’t get into the safetyprofession.”

Degrees:• BS, Industrial Technology, 1973• MS, Industrial Hygiene, 1975, Texas

A&M University, College Station, TXTime in Safety Profession:

25 yearsCurrent Position:

Manager, Industrial Hygiene andEnvironmental Consulting, VallenKnowledge Systems

Memberships:• American Industrial Hygiene

Association (Officer of a nationalcommittee on personal protectiveequipment)

Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Certified Industrial Hygienist

Frank H. Perry

Mr. Perry entered college as an electricalengineering major. He became interested ina new program in safety that was beingorganized in industrial technology andchanged his major.

He began his career as a safety engineer forDresser Petroleum & Minerals Group inTexas. He left the safety field for a few yearsto become a policeman. He soon returned toa safety engineering position and progressedin responsibility with a job change to

Cameron Iron Works, Inc. Since workingfor Cameron, he has been promotedprogressively to Supervisor of Safety andHealth, to other positions, CorporateManager of Health, Safety & EnvironmentalServices and now his current position.

Mr. Perry attributes much of his success totwo individuals, the professor who got himinto the safety career path and his firstsupervisor who got him involved inprofessional activities with the AmericanSociety of Safety Engineers.

The greatest rewards for Mr. Perry come fromthe variety of daily challenges which have aclear goal of sending employees home safelyeach day. He finds the true challenge ininteracting with employees and employers inthe ever changing approaches one takes inmeeting that goal.

His advice to those entering the safety fieldis to be flexible, because the successful safetyprofessional must be able to adjust to thechanging global business climate withoutcompromising one’s principles or workethics.

Degrees:• BS, Industrial Technology, 1970, Texas

A&M University, College Station, TXTime in Safety Profession:

27 yearsCurrent Position:

Director of Health, Safety &Environmental, Cameron, a Division ofCooper Cameron Corporation

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Served in many capacities at the local,regional and national level, includingSociety President)

Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Registered Professional Engineer

(Massachusetts)

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Carmen W. Daecher

Mr. Daecher became interested in safetywhile in college, especially in highway anddriving safety that was part of histransportation engineering training. Early inhis career he was a transportation planner fora city, focusing on street design and trafficcontrols to help create safe streets. Then, hemoved into consulting in highway anddriving safety. For a while he was themanager of a civic center/exhibition centerin Cleveland, OH, where he became involvedin workplace and event safety. For severalyears he worked for an insurance company,mainly involved in safety of truck and busfleets. For most of the last decade, he hasdone consulting work in transportation safety,commercial vehicle safety, and workplacesafety. Part of his work is reconstructingaccidents and providing legal testimonyrelating to vehicle and highway accidents.

Mr. Daecher feels that keys to his successare understanding the role of safety inorganizational and human behavior, keepingup with new methods, technologies andprocesses related to safety, developing goodcommunication skills with employees andtop management, and understanding businesspractices and financial aspects of safetymanagement.

The most rewarding aspects of his safetypractice are seeing efforts pay off, workingwith people and organizations and neverhaving two identical situations. Herecommends that being persistent inmotivating people to think and act differentlywill help you be a successful safetyprofessional.

Degrees:• BA, Economics, 1970, Franklin &

Marshall College, Lancaster, PA• MS, Transportation Engineering, 1974,

Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA• Pursuing Masters in Business

Administration• Tau Beta Pi—National Engineering

Honor SocietyTime in Safety Profession:

30 yearsCurrent Position:

President and Transportation Specialist,The Daecher Consulting Group, Inc.

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Served as Administrator of theTransportation Practice Specialty and inother roles)

• Institute of Transportation Engineers• Other national transportation committees

and organizationsCertifications:• Accredited Accident Reconstructionist

Emory E. Knowles

Mr. Knowles found out about the safety fieldthrough a newspaper advertisement placedby the Catonsville Community College.While working for a small chemicalcompany, he found that employees did notknow how to select and use personalprotective equipment and did not understandchemical hazards. He started a safety trainingprogram and his part-time activity grew intoa full-time safety position.

His safety responsibilities grewprogressively. At the chemical company, headvanced to a supervisor and then a managerposition because of his safety work. He thentook a position with Westinghouse as a safetyengineer. With additional professionalcertifications and advanced degrees, he waspromoted to Assistant Manager and thenManager of Industrial Hygiene and Safetyfor his business unit. He now has both a U.S.and foreign responsibility for the businessunit.

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Mr. Knowles credits early safety instructorswith guidance and encouragement to keephis career goals alive. He feels that hisexperience in professional society activitieshelped him to grow and learn how to manageand lead. He feels that his professionalcertifications and advanced education havegiven him an edge in his career.

His greatest reward from his career is theinternal peace from having been able toaccomplish good with his life. He advisesthose entering the safety profession to strivefor certification and to never, never stoplearning.

Degrees:• BA, Biology, 1968, University of

Steubenville• MS, Microbiology, 1974, West Virginia

University, Morgantown, WV• Certificate in Occupational Safety and

Health, 1982, Catonsville CommunityCollege, OH

• MS, Safety Sciences, 1991, IndianaUniversity of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA

Time in Safety Profession:21 years

Current Position:Manager, Industrial Hygiene and Safety,Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector,Northrop Grumman Corporation

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Held local and regional offices and nowis involved in national governmentalaffairs committees)

Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional• Certified Industrial Hygienist

Robert DeSiervo

After graduating from college with a degreein history, Mr. DeSiervo had difficultyfinding a job, especially with the country in

a recession. While interviewing with a safetydirector, Mr. DeSiervo’s early courses inscience and an interest in continuing to learnopened the door to his first safety position.His early struggles in the position led him toenroll in a master’s degree program in safetyand health.

After changing to a more challenging losscontrol position with an insurance company,he found out he needed to know more aboutinsurance. He prepared for and achieved theAssociate in Risk Management designation.His career led him through several positionsthat offered additional responsibility andexperience in running a loss controloperation. At times he traveled about 80%of the time. The jobs included operating hisown consulting business and having to learnto market his business to keep work lined up.

He is now back with his first employer in amuch more responsible position. In addition,he has recently taught an occupational safetyand health course at a local college.

Over the years, Mr. DeSiervo has been activein the American Society of Safety Engineersat the local, regional and national level andin a local safety organization. He feels thatthese experiences have given him theopportunity to expand professionally, tonetwork with many others in the safetyprofession, and to develop speaking andnegotiating skills.

He feels that a key to his success is learningto understand business concepts, such asprofit, revenue and income, and employeebehavior, values and attitudes.

While Mr. DeSiervo finds rewards in theprofessional impact he has had in getting anumber of companies to commit to safetythroughout their operations, his greatestreward comes from working with employees

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and receiving their gratitude when they learnto do their job safely while improving theirperformance.

Mr. DeSiervo recommends getting formaleducation in safety and health and achievingrecognized certifications. He also advisesnot to take things personally whenprofessional advise is not heeded, but to bepersistent in your convictions.

Degrees:• BA, History, 1975, Fordham University• MA, Occupational Safety and Health,

1980, New York University, New YorkCity

Time in Safety Profession:25 years

Current Position:Director of Safety and Health, FOJPService Corp

Memberships:• American Society of Safety Engineers

(Held local, regional and national offices)Certifications:• Certified Safety Professional

Resources

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Those seeking more information about thesafety profession and the nature of work doneby safety professionals may obtain additionalhelp from the sources below.

Organizations

American Society of Safety Engineerswww.asse.org1800 East Oakton StreetDes Plaines, IL 60018-2187847-699-2929

Founded in 1911, ASSE is the world’s oldestand largest professional safety organization.Its 33,000 members manage, supervise andconsult on safety, health and environmentalissues in industry, insurance, government andeducation. ASSE has 12 divisions and 148chapters in the United States and abroad. Italso has 64 student sections.

ASSE supports the education of future safetyprofessionals through scholarships and bydeveloping academic guidelines foruniversity curriculums. It has been active inthe accreditation of academic programs insafety. It sponsors student sections on dozensof campuses where safety-related academicprograms exist, and encourages excellencein student activities with its student honorsand awards.

American Industrial Hygiene Associationwww.aiha.org2700 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 250Fairfax, VA 22031703-849-8888

AIHA is the essential source for informationon occupational and environmental healthand safety issues. Founded in 1939, AIHA isan organization of more than 11,500professional members dedicated to theanticipation, recognition, evaluation, andcontrol of environmental factors arising inor from the workplace that may result ininjury, illness, impairment, or affect the well-being of workers and members of thecommunity.

Society of Fire Protection Engineerswww.sfpe.org7315 Wisconsin AvenueSuite 1225WBethesda, MD 20814301-718-2910

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers wasestablished in 1950 and incorporated as anindependent organization in 1971. It is theprofessional society representing thosepracticing in the field of fire protectionengineering. The Society has approximately4,100 members in the United States andabroad, and 51 regional chapters, 10 of whichare outside the U.S.

System Safety Societywww.system-safety.orgP.O. Box 70Unionville, VA 22567-0070540-854-8630540-854-4561 (fax)syssafe@ns.gemlink.com (email)

The System Safety Society was organized in1962 and incorporated in 1973 as an entitythat promotes education and enhancement ofthe system safety discipline. System safetyis an engineering and management disciplinethat emphasizes preventing accidents ratherthan reacting to them. In general, it does soby identifying, evaluating, analyzing, andcontrolling hazards throughout the life cycleof a system. The discipline is an outgrowthof the aerospace industry and was firstapplied to missile systems and the ApolloProgram to land a man on the moon.Currently, system safety practitioners arecontributing to safety in industry,government, and academia throughout theworld.

The Society’s objectives are to:• Advance the System Safety state-of-the-

art.• Contribute to an understanding of

System Safety and its applications.• Disseminate newly developed

knowledge about System Safety.• Further professional development.• Improve public perception of hazards

and the System Safety discipline.• Improve communications between the

System Safety discipline and otherprofessional groups.

• Establish standards for the System Safetydiscipline.

• Assist federal, state, and localgovernment bodies concerned withsafety.

• Establish standards for System Safetyeducational programs.

The System Safety Society publishes theJournal of the System Safety Society andtexts, which include the System SafetyAnalysis Handbook. The Society also honorsits own members annually for variousachievements and provides a vast networkingopportunity for members to solve problemsand identify job opportunities.

The Society is a worldwide organization withmembers from more than 20 countriesoutside the U.S. Each year the Societysponsors an International System SafetyConference and exhibition, which is attendedby hundreds of safety professionals andothers.

National Safety Councilwww.nsc.org1121 Spring Lake DriveItasca, IL 60143-3201630-285-1121

Founded in 1913, the National Safety Councilhas served as the premier source of safetyand health information in the United States.The Council started in the workplace—infactories, warehouses, construction sites—making businesses aware of ways to preventunintentional injuries on the job.Subsequently, its efforts were expanded toinclude highway, community and recreationsafety. Its mission now encompasses allmajor causes of preventable injuries anddeaths, including occupational andenvironmental health and general wellness.Along with its national responsibilities, theCouncil carries out its mission on thecommunity level through a network of morethan 60 local Chapters. The Council and itsChapters are committed to promoting safetyand health in all walks of life, 24 hours aday.

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American Conference of GovernmentalIndustrial Hygienists

www.acgih.org1330 Kemper Meadow Drive, Suite 600Cincinnati, OH 45250513-742-2020

For over 60 years, ACGIH has been a specialorganization for special people. From aninitially limited membership base to the all-encompassing categories of today, ACGIHhas grown and expanded without losing sightof its original goal: “To encourage theinterchange of experience among industrialhygiene workers and to collect and makeaccessible such information and data asmight be of aid to them in the properfulfillment of their duties.”

ACGIH is noted for its publication ofallowable exposure standards for chemicaland physical agents and for establishingmethods for measuring environments forcontaminants of various kinds.

Others

There are a number of other organizationswith members who are involved in varyingdegrees of hazard recognition, evaluation andcontrol. The list below provides names andweb addresses.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME) www.asme.org

American Institute of Chemical Engineers(AICH) www.aiche.org

Institute of Industrial Engineers(IIE) www.iienet.org

Risk and Insurance Management Society(RIMS) www.rims.org

American Chemical Society(ACS) www.acs.org

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society(HFES) www.hfes.org

Honor Societies

Rho Sigma Kappa

Rho Sigma Kappa is an honor societyestablished to:• Honor and recognize those students who

distinguish themselves throughachievement and exemplary character.

• Foster scholarship and promote studentleadership.

• Contribute to the advancement ofprofessionalism in safety.

This honor society may be established atfour-year universities that offer safety-relatedbachelor’s degrees. The society chapter is astudent-run organization that gives studentsthe opportunity to gain importantorganizational and leadership experience.Each chapter of the society must establishits own annual objectives, but all societyactivities must support the academic programand must seek to serve the student majors insafety.

Rho Sigma Kappa selects graduate studentsand safety professionals practicing in thediscipline to be members. However, most ofthose inducted into this honoraryorganization are undergraduate students.Normally, students can become eligible forselection to Rho Sigma Kappa during theirjunior year, but there is a minimum numberof credit hours (of safety courses) that mustbe completed and a minimum grade pointaverage (GPA) to be earned in safety coursesin order to qualify for consideration. Theoverall GPA requirement for candidacy isusually set so that less than 20% of allstudents in the safety-related major at a given

institution will be eligible for selection in anygiven term.

For more information about Rho SigmaKappa, please contact:

President, Rho Sigma Kappac/o Safety Sciences DepartmentIndiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA 15705412-357-3018

Salamander Honor Society

The Salamander Honor Society is an honorsociety for fire protection engineering. Moreinformation about this society can beobtained by contacting:

Society of Fire Protection Engineers7315 Wisconsin AvenueSuite 1225WBethesda, MD 20814301-718-2910

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Publishers of the Career Guideto the Safety Profession

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American Society of Safety EngineersFoundation

(www.asse.org/foundat.htm)

To support the advancement of the safetyprofession and to protect the safety and

health of all Americans.

Recognizing growth in the profession, as wellas a need for even more comprehensiveservices, the ASSE Board of Directorschartered the ASSE Foundation in 1990.Designed to provide professionaldevelopment and financial resources toqualified individuals and non-profitorganizations, the Foundation seeks toadvance safety and health development,research and education in the public interest.

ASSE supports the education of future safetyprofessionals through scholarships and bydeveloping academic guidelines foruniversity curriculums. It has been active inthe accreditation of academic programs insafety. It sponsors student sections on dozensof campuses where safety-related academicexist, and encourages excellence in studentactivities with its student honors and awards.

The ASSE Foundation receives contributionsfrom corporations, individual members,ASSE Chapters, Regions and PracticeSpecialties interested in supporting the safetyprofession.

The Foundation currently supports four keyprojects:• Student and faculty scholarships,

internships, fellowships and other formsof assistance,

• Safety research emphasizing the appliedaspects of current study in the field,

• Development of self-study programs,including correspondence coursesaddressing the domains within CSPexaminations and approved for collegecredit by the American Council onEducation (ACE), and

• Expanded accreditation of college-levelcurriculums in safety and health.

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Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals(www.bcsp.org)

Advancing the Safety, Health andEnvironmental Professional Since 1969

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals(BCSP) is a not-for-profit organizationestablished in 1969 and devoted solely tosetting standards for safety professionals andevaluating individuals against thosestandards. It grew out of a study by theAmerican Society of Safety Engineers.BCSP is not a membership organization.BCSP sets academic standards andexperience standards, examinations whichtest knowledge of professional safetypractice, and standards which requireindividuals to keep current with professionalpractice. Individuals who meet initial andcontinuing requirements may use thecertification titles awarded by BCSP.Participation in BCSP certifications isvoluntary.

The Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®) isBCSP’s main certification. Candidates whomeet some requirements toward the CSPreceive the title Associate Safety Professional(ASP), which can be held for a limited periodof time. An applicant for the CSP must havean acceptable degree (the minimum is anassociate degree in safety or a bachelor’sdegree in any field). An applicant must alsopresent at least four years of professionalsafety experience and pass two examinations:Safety Fundamentals and ComprehensivePractice. Those holding the CSP mustrecertify every five years through continuingeducation, retaking the ComprehensivePractice Examination or other professionaldevelopment activities.

Currently, about 10,000 individuals hold theCSP and about 5,000 are in the process ofachieving the CSP. The CSP is nationallyaccredited by the National Commission forCertifying Agencies (NCCA) and the Councilof Engineering and Scientific SpecialtyBoards (CESB). Both organizations setnational standards for peer certifications. TheCSP is recognized by many employers andfederal, state and local government agenciesin job positions and qualifications for certainsafety functions and in contracts.

BCSP is independent of, but sponsored bythe following societies and organizations:• American Society of Safety Engineers• American Industrial Hygiene

Association• System Safety Society• Society of Fire Protection Engineers• National Safety Council• Institute of Industrial Engineers

BCSP operates jointly with the AmericanBoard of Industrial Hygiene certifications forsafety and health technologists, technicians,supervisors and workers through the Councilon Certification of Health, Environmentaland Safety Technologists (CCHEST). Thisorganization currently offers the followingcertifications:• Occupational Health and Safety

Technologist (OHST)• Construction Health and Safety

Technician (CHST)• Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) in

Construction

Contributors

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The American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation, together with the Board of CertifiedSafety Professionals, is honored to dedicate the Career Guide to the Safety Profession toRobert E. McClay, CSP. Professor McClay is a past director of the Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals and a past chairman of ASSE’s Technical Publications Advisory Committee.While chairman, he initiated and developed, with others, the First Edition of the CareerGuide, which was published jointly by the ASSE Foundation and the Board of CertifiedSafety Professionals in 1997. Mr. McClay is Safety Consultant at the Center for AppliedTechnology at East Carolina University. He currently serves as a member of ASSE’s Councilon Professional Development, as well as other academic and educational entities of the Society.

The individuals listed below contributed to the development or update of the Career Guide tothe Safety Profession. Their assistance is greatly appreciated.

* Deceased

Special thanks is also extended to many individuals who submitted profile information abouttheir careers. Unfortunately, limited space in this publication permitted using only a few.

Mark W. BeckJohn (Jack) Beno*Kathleen S. BradyThomas BresnahanDan B. BrockmanLisa M. BrosseauRoger L. BrauerDennis BuckMichael BurdittDonald J. EckenfelderNewton EllisLon Harrison FergusonMark Friend

Richard J. HornfeckDavid A. LuchtW. Monroe KeyserlingJames P. Kohn*Albert MimsW. M. O’BrienPatrick T. RaganRobert SemonisckJanice L. ThomasAnthony VeltriClifford WatsonJerome W. Witherill