Summer 2005 - Page 4

The ASHM Program

Earlier this year Chairman Van Fleet sent a letter (see below) to over 30 colleges that offer degrees in safety and health management. The purpose is to encourage those institutions to apply for accreditation with the Institute for Safety and Health Management. Once accreditation is obtained, graduates from those schools obtaining degrees in safety and health management may apply for the Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM). So far two schools have been accredited, Grand Valley State University and West Virginia University.

The ASHM applications are picking up considerably since this program began. It also gives recognition to accredited schools, as they now are on our website.

CSHMs can help in two ways: first if you know of a school that offers degrees in safety and health management that we have overlooked, please provide us contact information; second, if you have a contact or some influence with a school on the list, you might encourage that school to apply for accreditation. You help will be most welcome.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Dear Safety and Health Faculty:

The following is intended to alert you to a new certification for safety and health manager. In the fall of 2003 the Institute for Safety and Health Management launched the first certification designed for practicing safety and health mangers. The Certified Safety & Health Manager (CSHM) designation has gone through a number of rigorous steps to become a significant asset to those in the work world whose job functions are not directly tied to engineering. The Institute is:

  • In the process of seeking title protection for the CSHM, with Nevada being the first state to issue such protection

  • In the process of seeking accreditation from the National Organization for Competency Assurance’s National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA met April 20th and indicated they would let the Institute know its accreditation status by mid-June

  • The first and only certifying body to require its candidate for the CSHM to hold a bachelor degree from an accredited institution of higher learning (Note: an associate degree is not a college degree it is only half of one)

For more information about the CSHM or the Institute, please visit www.ishm.org.

This letter, however, is not being sent to you regarding the CSHM. The Institute for Safety and Health Management took the bold step by deciding to recognize safety and health management degree programs. The Institute offers any graduate from such a program the designation of Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM). This designation can only be held by individuals graduating from such a program, and permits those graduates the opportunity to set for the CSHM examination (once they have completed two years of work experience). That is three years ahead of anyone else seeking the CSHM designation.

The procedures for getting a degree approved by the Institute are posted on the ISHM website in down loadable file formats. The recognition does not constitute nor represent an assessment of the quality of a given program; it only indicates that the program has demonstrated that it meets the conditions set aside for approval. The CSHM is not intended to stop faculty from seeking or encouraging their students to seek the Certified Safety Professional (BCSP) designation. The CSHM is merely intended to offer a viable alternative to those who hold management positions in safety and health. Likewise, the Institute's program approval process is not intended to hinder nor discourage programs from seeking ASSE/ABET accreditation, for such accreditation is an important tool in validating quality program design. The role of program approval is intended to recognize those programs’ graduates for their effort to seek a degree in safety and health management.

I strongly encourage you to check out the merits of getting your program approved by the Institute so that your students will have one additional indicator to assist them is job employment and professional growth. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at the address provided.

] Sincerely,

Dr. Eric L. Van Fleet, CSHM


Copyright 2005 ISHM Institute for Safety and Health Management
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