Reflecting on 2023

Through our partnership with ASSP, Nito Solutions facilitated fourteen (14) ASP, CSP, and CHST exam prep workshops in 2023. Over 400 safety professionals attended those workshops. We are proud to have played a part in these safety professionals' professional development and certification. A BCSP certification positively reflects the individual's character and the safety profession.

As instructors with 90 years of combined experience in the safety profession, we are grateful to ASSP for the opportunity to share our knowledge and experience during these workshops. It’s equally exciting and gratifying when we hear from a workshop participant that they passed. In a sense, it’s our contribution to the safety profession.

We also observed an evolution in 2023. Second-generation safety professionals are showing up in the workshops. In one recent workshop, two sets of two generations sought CSP certification. A father and son, and a mother and son. In addition, more college-age students are choosing safety and health as a career. They are obtaining a Graduate Safety Professional Designation (GSP) and pursuing a CSP certification. It's exciting to see young professionals coming out of college, going directly into the safety profession, and watching them continue to learn and advance through accreditation.

These young professionals are helping the profession evolve from a compliance-driven command and control field to a more principle-based area focusing on safety management systems. We got involved in the late 20th century because it was a federal requirement. Today, young professionals pursue a safety and health career out of concern for others and the environment.

On a sad note, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the 2022 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Report BLS CFOI Report 2022. The news is not good. According to BLS "There were 5,486 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021. The fatal work injury rate was 3.7 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, up from 3.6 per 100,000 FTE in 2021. To put this in perspective, "A worker died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury compared to 101 minutes in 2021."

Looking forward to 2024, now more than ever, we need credentialed safety professionals. In my workshops, I often make the point that a credential does not guarantee success, but it establishes our credibility, which builds trust and opens doors to conversations. Those conversations provide an opportunity to influence the decisions and behaviors of everyone, from upper management to front-line employees.

If you are considering a certification, your next chance to attend an ASP, CSP, or CHST exam prep workshop is at ASSP's SafetyFOCUS in Irvine, California, on February 12-16,2024. If you don't want to wait or prefer to study on your own, Nito Solutions guidebooks and practice exams are available for purchase at Exam Prep Guidebooks and Practice Exams

Best wishes for a successful 2024.