IEN 420: Environmental &

Safety Engineering
Spring 2021-2022
 IEN 420: Roles and Professional
Certifications for Safety and Health
Professionals
Spring 2021-2022
Lecture 4
Primary reference textbooks:
Goetsch D. L. “Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers” (9th Edition)

College of Engineering Dr. Hadi Jaber

Industrial Engineering Program Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management
 Modern Safety and Health Teams
• The issues that concern modern safety and health managers include:
• Stress; explosives; laws, standards, and codes.
• Radiation; AIDS; product safety and liability.
• Ergonomics; ethics; automation; workers' compensation.
• An ever-changing multitude of other issues.
• It is unreasonable to expect one person to be an expert in all the
complex & diverse issues faced in the modern workplace.
• Typical positions comprising a safety & health team.
FIGURE 4–1 A modern safety and health team.
 Safety and Health Manager
• Companies committed to a safe & healthy workplace employ a
safety & health manager at an appropriate level in the corporate
hierarchy.
• The manager's position in the hierarchy is an indication of the
company's commitment and priorities.
• Safety & health manager duties range include
• hazard analysis,
• accident reporting,
• standards/compliance,
• record keeping,
• training,
• emergency planning, etc.
FIGURE 4–2 Safety and health manager job description.
 Role in the Company Hierarchy
• The safety & health manager's role in a company depends in part on
whether his/her safety & health duties are full time or are in addition to
other duties.
• In some companies, safety & health managers may have other
duties, like a production or personnel manager.
• Staff positions operate like internal consultants—they may recommend,
suggest & promote—but do not have the authority to order or mandate.
• Typically the case with safety &health managers.
• Managers with line authority over safety & health personnel typically
have a staff relationship with other functional managers.
• Personnel, production, or purchasing.
• A successful safety & health manager is resourceful, clever, astute in
corporate politics, good at building relationships, persuasive, adept at
trading favors, credible, talented in development & use of influence.
 Problems Safety and Health Managers Face
• Lack of Commitment - top management may see safety & health
program as a necessary evil.
• A collection of government regulations that interfere with profits.
• Safety & health professionals should be prepared to confront a less
than wholehearted commitment in some companies.
 Production versus Safety
• Industrial firms are in business to make a profit by producing or
processing products.
• Anything that interferes with production or processing is likely to
be looked on unfavorably.
• The modern marketplace sometimes puts safety & health
professional at odds with others, responsible for productivity, quality,
cost, and response time.
• A health or safety measure can be viewed as interfering with
productivity.
 Company-Wide Commitment to Safety
and Health
• The most successful safety & health managers understand goals of
improved productivity, quality, cost, image, service, and response
time.
• And convey the message that a safe, healthy workplace is the best
way to accomplish these goals.
• The least successful earn a reputation as grumpy in-house
bureaucrats quoting regulations, chapter & verse, but know little, and
care less about profits.
 Lack of Resources
• Continual improvements can be achieved and maintained best in a safe, healthy
work environment.
• Competitiveness comes from continually improving productivity, quality, cost,
image, service & response time.
• Safety and health managers should use this message to gain a commitment from
management and employees.
• Safety & health managers find their departments rank lower in priority than
production & operations.
• Until a disaster occurs.
• Safety and health managers need to become proficient in showing the financial
benefits of a safe workplace.
FIGURE 4–3 Factors that produce competitiveness.
 Productivity, Quality, Cost, and
Response Time
• The most productive company is the one that generates the
most output with the least input.
• Output is the company's product.
• Input is any resource—time, talent, money, technology—
needed to produce the product.
• Quality is a measure of reliability & customer satisfaction.
• Cost is the amount of money required to purchase the item.
• Response time is the elapsed amount of time between an
order being placed and the product being delivered.
 Productivity, Quality, Cost, and Response
Time
• The following five points are helpful:
• A safe and healthy workplace will help attract & keep the best people,
• To get the most out of talented people, it is important to keep them safe &
healthy, functioning peak performance.
• Employees cannot concentrate fully on quality when they are concerned for
their safety and health.
• Keeping industrial technologies up-to-date requires the continual investment
of funds.
• With the skyrocketing costs, it costs less to prevent accidents than pay for
them.
 Education/Training for Safety & Health
Managers
• Advances have made the safety & health professional job more complex than
ever before.
• Increasing the importance of education & training.
• The ideal formula for safety & health professionals is formal education prior to
entering the profession.
• Supplemented by lifelong in-service training.
• Formal education provides the foundation of knowledge needed to enter the
profession.
• The challenge is keeping up as laws, standards, and overall body of knowledge
grow, change, and evolve.
• New safety & health managers should join the appropriate professional
organizations.
 Image and Service

• A company's image, internal & external, can be a deciding factor in its ability to
succeed.
• A solid internal image in terms of safety & health makes it easier to attract
and keep the best employees.
• A solid external image in regard to environmental/product safety issues
makes it easier to attract & retain customers.
• Gaining a full, real commitment to safety & health in the workplace is one of the
most important roles of the safety and health manager.
• In a competition-driven workplace, managers responsible for bottom line may
resent arguments based on government mandates and regulations.
• Points about productivity, quality, cost, image, and response time go a long way in
helping to gain management commitment to safety & health.
 Engineers and Safety

• Engineers can make a contributions to safety, or cause, inadvertently

or by incompetence, accidents that result in serious injury & property
damage.
• Opportunity for good & bad comes during design.
• Engineers involved in design are usually in the aerospace, electrical,
mechanical & nuclear fields.
• Safety & health professionals should be familiar with the design
process to more fully understand the role of engineers concerning
workplace safety.
Safety Fact The Calculus Controversy in Safety and Health
Programs
Many of the programs in colleges and universities that
prepare safety and health professionals require calculus.
Some practicing professionals in the field think that college
programs require too much math and too little management,
business, and international safety. These professionals argue
that calculus has no value to them on the job, but that more
business and management courses would. The opposing
faction in the field continues to defend calculus as necessary
and important. A third faction supports calculus and
business management courses, claiming that the safety and
health professional needs both.
 Design Process
• The design process is a plan of action for reaching a goal, and proceeds in five
sequential steps:
• Problem identification – Engineers draft a description of the problem.
• Synthesis - Engineers combine or synthesize systematic, scientific procedures
with creative techniques to develop initial solutions to the problem.
• Analysis and evaluation - Potential solutions developed are subjected to
scientific analysis and careful evaluation.
• Will the proposed solution satisfy the functional requirements?
• Will it meet all specifications?
• Can it be produced quickly and economically?
• Document and communicate - Engineering drawings, detailed calculations &
written specifications are prepared.
 Design Process

• The design process is a plan of action for reaching a goal, and

proceeds in five sequential steps:
• Produce and deliver - Shop or detail drawings are developed, and
the design produced, usually as a prototype.
• The prototype is analyzed and tested.
• Design changes are made if necessary.
• The product is then produced and delivered.
 Safety Engineer
• The title safety engineer is often a misnomer, implying the person in the position is a
degreed engineer with formal education and/or special training in workplace safety.
• The title is typically given to the person with overall responsibility for the company's safety
program.
• Persons with bachelor's or associate degrees in areas other than engineering should be
encouraged to seek such positions.
• Industrial technology, engineering & manufacturing, industrial management &
industrial safety technology.
• There are signs that engineering schools are becoming more sensitive to safety & health
issues.
• Graduate degrees in such areas as nuclear physics & nuclear engineering now often
require safety courses.
• The federal government sponsors postgrad safety studies.
• Four states now have registration of professional engineers in a Safety Engineer
discipline.
 Industrial Engineers and Safety

• Industrial engineers are the most likely candidates from among the
various engineering disciplines to work as safety engineers.
• Knowledge of industrial systems can make them valuable
members of a design team
• They can also contribute as a member of a company's safety team
by helping design job & plant layouts for efficiency & safety.
• They are not much more likely to have safety courses as a required
part of their program of study.
 Environmental Engineers and Safety

• Environmental engineering is a relatively new discipline, and may be

described as follows:
• A field in which the application of engineering & scientific
principles is used to protect and preserve human health and the
well-being of the environment.
• Course work environmental engineers take is particularly relevant
since all of it relates directly or indirectly to health.
FIGURE 4–10 Typical required core courses for environmental engineering students.
 Chemical Engineers and Safety
• Modern chemical engineers, also called process engineers, are
concerned with physical/chemical changes of matter to economically
produce a product or result that is useful to mankind.
• Versatile in a chemical, petroleum, aerospace, nuclear, materials,
microelectronics, sanitation, food processing, and computer
technology.
• Increasingly, industrial companies are seeking chemical engineers to
fill the industrial hygiene role on the safety and health team.
• Their formal education makes people in this discipline well
equipped to serve in this capacity.
 Industrial Hygienist
• An industrial hygienist is a person degreed in engineering, chemistry, physics, medicine, or
related sciences.
• Who, by virtue of special studies and training, has acquired competence in industrial
hygiene.
• Industrial hygienists are primarily concerned about the following types of hazards:
• Solvents, particulates, toxic substances.
• Dermatoses, ergonomics, noise, temperature.
• Radiation, biological substances.
• Ventilation, gas, and vapors.
• Special studies/training must have been sufficient to provide the ability to:
• Recognize environmental factors
• Evaluate the magnitude of these stresses
• Prescribe methods to eliminate, control, or reduce such stresses
• In a safety and health team, the industrial hygienist typically reports to the safety and health
manager.
 Health Physicist

• Health physicists are concerned primarily with radiation in the workplace.

• Monitoring radiation inside and outside the facility.
• Measuring the radioactivity levels of biological samples.
• Developing the radiation components of the company's emergency action
plan.
• Supervising the decontamination of workers and the workplace when
necessary.
• Nuclear engineering & nuclear physics are the most widely pursued fields of
study for health physicists.
• Professionals in this field may be certified by the American Board of Health
Physics (ABHP).
 Occupational Physician
• Occupational medicine as a field dates to World War II, classified in 1955 as a medical
specialty.
• Concerns of the Occupational Physician include:
• Appraisal, maintenance, restoration and improvement of worker health.
• Concerns of the Occupational Physician include:
• Promotion of productive, fulfilling interaction of worker and job, via application of
principles of human behavior.
• Active appreciation of social, economic & administrative needs and responsibilities of
both worker & community.
• Team approach to safety & health, involving cooperation of the physician with
occupational or industrial hygienists, occupational health nurses, safety personnel, and
other specialties.
 Occupational Physician
• Occupational physicians are fully degreed and licensed medical doctors, and must have
completed postgraduate work in many areas, including:
• Biostatistics, epidemiology, industrial toxicology.
• Work physiology, principles of occupational safety.
• Radiation (ionizing and nonionizing), biological monitoring.
• Ergonomics, noise/hearing conservation.
• Fundamentals of industrial hygiene, occupational aspects of dermatology.
• Record and data collection, governmental regulations.
• General environmental health (air, water, ground pollution, and waste
management control).
 Occupational Physician

• The OP should be the leader of other medical personnel.

• There should be a written medical program available to all management and
employees.
• Periodic tours of all facilities are necessary for an understanding of possible
work-related injuries.
• The OP should understand the workplace and the chemicals used & produced.
• Should be familiar with OSHA & NIOSH health mandates.
 Occupational Health Nurse
• Occupational health nursing is application of nursing principles in conserving
health of workers.
• AAOHN defines occupational nurse objectives:
• To adapt the nursing program to meet the specific needs of the individual
company.
• To provide competent nursing care for all employees, or seek competent
medical direction if unavailable on-site.
• To establish and maintain an adequate system of records.
• To plan, prepare, promote, present, and broker educational activities for
employees.
• To establish and maintain positive working relationships with all departments
within the company.
• To maintain positive working relationships with all components of the local
health care community.
• Monitor, evaluate & adjust the nursing program.
 Discussion Case What Is Your Opinion?
"What do you mean, we will need a team of safety and
health professionals? Can't we just hire a safety manager or
a safety engineer?" asked the frustrated CEO. The
consultant smiled understandingly, but stood firm. "Look,"
said the consultant, "you have just acquired two new
companies. One is a chemical processing plant. The other is
a manufacturer that produces hazardous by-products. Both
have enormous profit potential, but right now those profits
are being drained off by legal and medical expenses. The
little you invest in the safety and health personnel that I'm
recommending will pay off many times over in the future."
"But I don't like to hire support personnel," countered the
CEO. "If they don't make a direct contribution, why hire
them?" Who is right in this discussion? What is your opinion?
 Risk Manager

• Risk management consists of activities and strategies an organization can use to

protect itself from situations, circumstances, or events that may undermine its
security.
• Organizations are at risk every time they open their doors for business.
• Risk managers work closely with safety and health personnel to reduce the risk of
accidents and injuries on the job.
• They also work closely with insurance companies to achieve the most
effective transference possible.
 Professional Certification

• Professional certification is an excellent way to establish credentials in the safety,

health, and environmental profession.
• Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
• Awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)
• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIE)
• Awarded by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)
• Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE)
• Awarded by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE)
• Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN)
• Awarded by the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN)
 Certified Safety Professional - Certification
• To qualify for the Certified Safety Professional title, applicants must follow these
steps:
• Apply to the BCSP.
• Meet an academic requirement.
• Meet a professional safety experience requirement.
• Pass the Safety Fundamentals Examination.
• Pass the Comprehensive Practice Examination.
• The model educational background for a Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
candidate is a bachelor's degree in safety.
• From a program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET).
 Certified Safety Professional - Certification
• A CSP candidate must meet one of the following minimum educational
qualifications:
• Associate degree in safety & health, or Bachelor's degree in any field.
• CSP candidates must have four years professional safety experience in addition to
any experience used to meet the academic requirement.
• The professional safety function must be the primary function of the position.
• Collateral safety duties are not considered primary function.
• Professional safety function must be at least 50% of the position duties, full
time (at least 35 hours per week).
• The position must be at the professional level and have breadth of duties.
 Certified Safety Professional - Certification
• CSP designation involves two examinations:
• Safety Fundamentals Examination - covers basic knowledge appropriate to
professional safety practice.
• On passing this examination, candidates receive Associate Safety
Professional (ASP) title to denote progress toward CSP.
• All CSP candidates must acquire 96 points and pass the Comprehensive
Practice Examination.
• On passing this examination, candidate receives the CSP title.
 Certified Industrial Hygienist

• In the mid-1950s, a group of industrial hygienists from a national

organization recommended that a voluntary certification program be
established for industrial hygiene practitioners.
• The program has proven a hallmark of achievement that provides an
indicator of success in the field.
• Measures knowledge of a practicing industrial hygienist in 16
technical areas of practice (called rubrics).
• The intended purpose of the examination for Certified Industrial
Hygienist (CIH) is to ensure professionals in the field have skills and
knowledge needed in the practice of industrial hygiene.
 Certified Industrial Hygienist
• The ABIH has a process established for reviewing each application and preparing
each examination.
• Each question is evaluated by a group of practicing CIEs to ensure correctness
& relevance.
• Each item is rated on difficulty for its target audience, and this is used to set
the passing score for each test.
• Each question is also rated by professional testers to ensure its validity as a
question for an examination.
• The examination itself is the subject of an effort to ensure that it adheres to the
standardized evaluation method.
• After a candidate has met the established standard for certification, maintenance
becomes the issue.
• All CIEs must demonstrate they are active in the field, and have continued to
improve knowledge.
 Certified Professional Ergonomist
• Examination for Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) is administered
by the BCPE to individuals meeting the following requirements:
• Applicants should have a master's degree, or equivalent, in one of the
correlative fields of ergonomics
• Biomechanics, human factors/ergonomics, industrial
engineering/hygiene, kinesiology, psychology, etc..
• Applicants must have completed at least four years of ergonomic
work experience.
• Appropriateness is determined from employment history and
participation in projects requiring ergonomic expertise.
• One work sample must be submitted, which demonstrates a breadth
of knowledge and ability to use ergonomic methods successfully.
 CPE – Associate-Level Certification

• The Associate Ergonomics Professional (AEP) category is a precursor

to the CPE designation.
• Meets the education requirements for BCPE certification.
• Has passed Part 1 of the examination (on basic knowledge of
human factors ergonomics)
• Is currently working toward fulfilling BCPE requirement of four
years' practical experience as a human factors and ergonomics
professional.
 CPE – Bachelor's Degree Certification

• A credential that recognizes a candidate for the following levels of

knowledge, skills & experience:
• A bachelor's degree from a recognized university
• At least 200 hours of ergonomics training
• At least two full years practicing ergonomics
• A satisfactory score on the examination on ergonomics
foundations and ergonomics practice methods
•
 Certified Occupational Health Nurse

• The ABOHN offers several certifications, all of which require that

individuals first pass either the COHN or COHN–S certification tests.
• Focus of this credential is the nurse's role as a clinician, adviser,
coordinator, and case manager.
• Individuals must be registered nurses holding an associate degree
or higher degree.
• Must have 4,000 or more hours of work experience in
occupational health & 50 or more contact hours of continuing
education.
 Emerging Role of Safety Professionals

• As the world gets flatter, as organizations get leaner, and as global

competition becomes more intense, the role of safety professionals is
changing.
• The core duty of safety professionals has not changed, but the skills
they will need to fulfill this duty are changing.
• Expectations of a safe & healthy workplace are higher than ever, and
society is more litigious than ever.
• Being an expert in a specific safety & health-related discipline—still
necessary—is no longer sufficient.
• Safety professionals will have to become transformational leaders in
their organizations.
 Thank You

IEN 420: Environmental & Safety Engineering

Spring 2021-2022

College of Engineering Dr. Hadi Jaber

Industrial Engineering Program Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management