ASP Certification

ASP Certification Explained

The ASP certification is a cause of some confusion for safety professionals who aspire to achieve certification in their field. There are a lot of questions about the ASP. Is the ASP the same as the CSP? Are they actually two different certifications? Is one as good as the other? What are the requirements for taking the ASP certification exam? In this brief article, we will answer these questions, explain what the ASP is, and clear up the confusion between the ASP and the CSP.

ASP stands for Associate Safety Professional, while CSP stands for Certified Safety Professional. The CSP is the gold standard, the highest certification available for safety professionals in the U.S. In contrast, the ASP is an entry-level certification that is obtained by people in the field as the first step toward getting their CSP. Because qualifying for the CSP requires so much education and experience, it takes quite a while to earn the certification. Therefore, the governing boards introduced ASP certification as a temporary designation to recognize that ASP certification holders have mastered some of the fundamentals by passing two of the CSP tests and are merely waiting until they have enough experience to sit for the full battery of CSP tests.

The agency assigns a certain amount of points to educational and occupational achievements, and a person is eligible to seek CSP status with 96 points. Those who have at least 48 points, but fewer than 96, are eligible to seek ASP certification. If they successfully pass this hurdle and continue to move up the career points ladder, they will be able to test for CSP certification at a later date. Basically, ASP certification is a temporary, entry-level status for people who eventually hope to become CSP certified. This does not mean the ASP is an easy test to pass; it is not, and aspiring ASPs are strongly advised to make use of a good ASP study guide before attempting the test.

Passing the ASP Exam Can Greatly Increase Your Earning Potential

The ASP exam is the entry-level certification test for safety professionals in the U.S. While it is possible to be employed as a safety professional without ASP certification, passing the exam is a necessity for people working in the field of safety who seek to achieve the highest levels of both responsibility and income in their field. Not every safety professional is eligible to take the test; candidates must have an accredited college degree (either associate's or bachelor's), preferably-but not necessarily-in safety and must be currently employed in the safety field.

Why is the ASP exam so important for reaching your top career goals? It is the first step toward becoming a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), which is the gold standard of certifications in the field. People who hold the CSP designation are at the top of their profession. Many of the highest-level jobs in the field are open only to CSP holders, giving them many more options when it comes to seeking new employment or more advanced positions with their current employer. They earn substantially higher salaries than those colleagues who are not CSP holders. That is why passing the ASP exam is so important. Doing so is the only way to eventually progress to full CSP status. The ASP designation is also valued by employers, and being ASP certified is a big boost to career potential in and of itself. The ASP exam is not easy to pass, but with an excellent study guide and hard work, most candidates should be able to achieve a passing score, putting them well on their way to better jobs and higher salaries.

CSP Exam

Passing the CSP exam is essential for anyone who wants to make it to the top levels of the industrial safety field. CSP stands for Certified Safety Professional, and the person who holds this elite designation has reached the pinnacle of knowledge when it comes to industrial safety. Having the CSP beside your name on your resume lets the world know that you are a consummate professional when it comes to industrial safety because you have mastered every area of the field. That is why passing the CSP exam is so important.

Unlike some tests, such as the SAT, the ACT, or the MMPI, the monetary value of making a passing score on the CSP test is beyond dispute. Safety professionals with this designation get more job offers, have higher levels of responsibility, are recruited far more often by headhunters, and make substantially more money than safety professionals who lack the title. Study after study and countless surveys have demonstrated this beyond a shadow of a doubt. If you are a safety professional who has not passed the CSP exam, you are missing opportunities each and every day that you let go by without taking the test. It is a rigorous and demanding test, but there are excellent study guides available to help you pass it. Do not postpone taking the exam. Whatever has been holding you back from taking the test, whether it is fear of failure or not enough continuing education credit, deal with the issue and then take the CSP test. You will be glad you did.

CSP Certification: A Two Step Process

CSP certification can be somewhat confusing. CSP stands for Certified Safety Professional and is one of the highest professional designations a safety professional can have on his or her resume or office door. To earn a CSP, you must pass a grueling five hour test of 200 questions. These questions cover all aspects of the safety professional's work: professional conduct and ethics, communications, management, engineering, and information management. The test taker must have a college degree and at least four years of experience as a safety professional. As you can see, only the elites of the profession earn the CSP certification.

However, the CSP is only the culmination of a two-step process. The first step is known as ASP, which stands for Associate Safety Professional. In order to qualify for the ASP title, a person must take the ASP exam, which is also five hours and two hundred questions. Anyone who has not first passed the ASP is not allowed to take the CSP. Furthermore, the ASP should never be an end it itself; it should be earned with the ultimate goal of obtaining the coveted CSP. Obviously, becoming a Certified Safety Professional is a long and arduous task, but it is well worth it because of the rewards that follow once a person has earned his or her CSP certification.