CSP certification: what it is and how to get it
Short answerThe Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a credential awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). To qualify you need at least a bachelor's degree, four years of safety, health and environmental experience and a BCSP qualified credential such as the ASP or GSP. You then pass a 5.5-hour computer-based exam at a Pearson VUE test centre.
What the CSP shows employers
The CSP is awarded by BCSP, a US-based certification board, and is held by safety professionals around the world. It signals that you have a degree, several years of professional-level safety, health and environmental (SH&E) work, and that you have passed an exam built around applied practice: designing controls, managing programmes and judging risk.
Many senior HSE job adverts list the CSP as required or preferred, so it is often the credential people plan towards after their first few years in the field.
CSP eligibility requirements
Per BCSP's CSP page, you need all three of the following before you can sit the exam.
- Education: at minimum a bachelor's degree in any field. Degrees from outside the US are evaluated for US equivalency.
- Experience: four years of SH&E experience, at least 50% of it preventative, professional-level work with breadth and depth of safety duties.
- A qualified credential: for example the Associate Safety Professional (ASP), the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP), the Transitional Safety Practitioner (TSP), or recognised credentials such as the CIH, CMIOSH, CFIOSH and CRSP. Check BCSP's current list before applying.
The ASP to CSP pathway and the GSP
Most candidates without another qualifying credential take the ASP first. The ASP needs one year of SH&E experience, and once you hold it, it meets the qualified credential requirement for the CSP.
The GSP is a designation for graduates of a BCSP Qualified Academic Program (QAP). It also satisfies the qualified credential requirement, but BCSP requires GSP holders to sit and pass the CSP exam within six years of the date the GSP is awarded.
CSP exam format
BCSP lists the CSP exam time as 5.5 hours. The exam is computer-based and delivered at Pearson VUE test centres worldwide. Results are available as soon as you submit. If you need another attempt, you can schedule it no earlier than six weeks after your last one, and purchased exam authorisations are valid for one year from application approval.
CSP blueprint domains and weights
Per BCSP's published CSP11 blueprint, the exam covers seven domains. The weights tell you roughly how much of the exam each area represents, which is the best guide to where your study time should go.
- Domain 1: Advanced Application of Safety Principles, 25%
- Domain 2: Program Management, 25%
- Domain 3: Risk Management, 15%
- Domain 4: Emergency Management, 9%
- Domain 5: Environmental Management, 6%
- Domain 6: Occupational Health and Applied Science, 10%
- Domain 7: Training, 10%
CSP fees and recertification
BCSP's Credentials At-A-Glance page lists a $160 application fee, $350 for a single exam (or a $600 exam bundle) and a $180 renewal fee for the CSP. BCSP charges a fee each year to keep using the credential. Fees change, so confirm them on bcsp.org before you pay.
To keep the CSP you earn 25 recertification points in each five-year cycle, through activities such as professional memberships, conferences, courses and BCSP recertPRO. For cycles starting on or after 1 July 2023, 0.5 of those points (five hours) must come from ethics training.
How HSE HUB helps you prepare
HSE HUB gives you practice questions by exam domain, weighted to BCSP's published blueprint, with a full explanation for every answer. Ten practice questions a day are open to everyone with no account. HSE HUB Pro adds unlimited practice, 25- and 50-question sets, domain drills, a full 200-question, 3-hour mock exam scored by domain, short animated lessons and ASP and CSP study guides.
Important note
HSE HUB is an unofficial study tool and is not affiliated with BCSP. ASP and CSP are BCSP trademarks. Blueprint domains and weights are BCSP's, shown with attribution.
Questions people ask
What is CSP certification?
The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a credential awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). It shows that you hold a degree, have at least four years of professional safety, health and environmental experience, hold a qualified credential and have passed BCSP's CSP exam, which focuses on applying safety principles, managing programmes and managing risk.
Do I need the ASP before the CSP?
You need a BCSP qualified credential, and the ASP is the most common route. Other options on BCSP's list include the GSP, the TSP and recognised credentials such as the CIH, CMIOSH, CFIOSH and CRSP. If you already hold one of these, check BCSP's current list to confirm it still qualifies before you apply.
How long is the CSP exam?
BCSP lists the CSP exam time as 5.5 hours. It is a computer-based exam taken at a Pearson VUE test centre, and your result is available as soon as you submit. If you need to retake it, BCSP requires you to wait at least six weeks after your last attempt.
How much does the CSP cost?
BCSP's Credentials At-A-Glance page lists a $160 application fee and $350 for a single exam, with a $600 exam bundle option, plus a $180 renewal fee to keep the credential. Fees can change, so confirm the current amounts on bcsp.org before applying.
How do I keep my CSP active?
Pay BCSP's renewal fee each year and earn 25 recertification points in every five-year cycle. Points come from activities such as professional memberships, conferences, courses and BCSP recertPRO. Since cycles starting 1 July 2023, five hours (0.5 points) of ethics training are also required each cycle.
Is HSE HUB affiliated with BCSP?
No. HSE HUB is an unofficial study tool and is not affiliated with BCSP. Its practice questions are written by HSE professionals and weighted to BCSP's published blueprint, with a full explanation for every answer, so you can find weak domains and focus your study time.