Question: Can I become certified or get a certification through the Public Sector Safety & Health Fundamentals certificate program?

Answer:

No. OSHA does not does not certify individuals, nor offer certifications. Certifications are awarded by a third-party, standard-setting organization. Certification results from an assessment process by which individuals are evaluated against predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and or competencies. The certification indicates a competency of a subject-matter as measured against a defensible set of standards that are set by an industry-wide process. Certification programs typically require some amount of professional experience and/or academic degrees from approved institutes of higher-education. Most certification programs have ongoing requirements to maintain certification and typically results in a designation after one’s name; such as Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).

Certificates are generally awarded to recognize completion of a training course or series of courses. The requirements to receive a certificate are determined by the training provider and can vary widely. Requirements can range from being in attendance to meeting the American National Standard ANSI/ASTM E2659-09, which requires developing a quality education/training course that has an assessment at the end to determine if the learning outcomes have been achieved. The Public Sector Safety & Health Fundamentals certificate program offered by OSHA results in a certificate being issued to the student to recognize successful completion of a specific series of courses related to occupational safety and health.