WHAT IS THE Certified ENVIRONMENT, Safety, and Health™(CAESH) Associate Credential?

 

The Environment, Health, and Safety Associate (CAESH) credential is for environment, health, and safety generalist practitioners who know the technology and scientific principles used to evaluate, protect, manage, and enhance the health and safety of people and the environment.  CAESH’s have a multi-disciplinary understanding of:

• occupational and environmental health and safety hazards and risks,
• environmental aspects and impacts,
• sustainability,
• concepts relating to regulatory and voluntary standards and
• risk mitigation.

 

Benefits of the CAESH Certification

The benefits of holding the CAESH Certification include the following:

• Professional recognition: The CAESH certification demonstrates that an individual has the knowledge and expertise in environment, health, and safety practices, making them stand out among their peers and potentially leading to increased job opportunities and career advancement.
• Enhanced credibility: Employers and clients value certifications as they assure that the individual possesses the skills and knowledge to address environmental, health, and safety challenges effectively. The CAESH certification can enhance one’s credibility and trustworthiness in the field.
• Expanded Job Prospects: The CAESH certification can open a wide range of job opportunities in various industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, energy, and consulting. Many organizations actively seek certified professionals to improve their environment, health, and safety performance.
• Competitive edge: In a competitive job market, having the CAESH certification can give individuals a competitive edge over others who do not possess this credential. It demonstrates their commitment to professional development and dedication to continually improving their skills.
• Continued Professional Growth: Maintaining the EHSA certification requires individuals to stay up to date with the latest developments, regulations, and best practices in the field of environment, health, and safety. This commitment to ongoing learning fosters continuous professional growth and ensures that professionals remain competent.
• Visibility and Access to Jobs: EHSAs have access to a web-enabled designation that can be shared to increase their social media presence and to connect their skills to active job postings.

 

HOW DO I BECOME AN CAESH?

If you are interested in becoming a CAESH, you must:

• Have a total of 4 years of a combination of education and experience.  This could include academic or continuing education course equivalents in EHS-related topics or EHS experience.
• You must pass the CAESH exam.
• You must agree to adhere to the BGC Code of Ethics and to be governed by the BGC Ethics Case Procedures.
• You must pay fees on or before the due date.

For more information on the specific details of becoming a CAESH, read the CAESH Candidate handbook pages.

 

Applying for the Environment, Safety, and Health™ Associate (CAESH) Credential

The qualified environment, health, and safety associate (CAESH) has knowledge of the technology and scientific principles used to evaluate, protect, manage, and enhance the health and safety of people and the environment.  CAESHs have a multi-disciplinary understanding of:

• occupational and environmental health and safety hazards and risks,
• environmental aspects and impacts,
• sustainability,
• concepts relating to regulatory and voluntary standards and
• risk mitigation.

CAESH practitioners also agree to abide by BGC’s Code of Ethics.

A CAESH is an individual who has met the minimum requirements for education and/or experience and, through examination, has demonstrated a minimum level of knowledge and skills in the following areas:

• occupational and environmental health and safety hazards and risks,
• environmental aspects and impacts,
• sustainability,
• concepts relating to regulatory and voluntary standards and
• risk mitigation.

The CAESH Examination Blueprint here.

Obligations of Credential Holders

After you pass the exam and are issued your credential, you are required to meet several obligations, not limited to:

• paying all fees on or before the due date
• continually updating your knowledge and skills
• documenting knowledge and skills through the Certification Maintenance Process
• upholding the BGC Code of Ethics

Please be aware that if the requirements for certification and recertification change, you will be required to meet them in order to hold your certification.

 

CAESH Application Overview of Steps

To qualify for admission to the BGC examinations as an applicant, you must comply with all Board requisites. Documents and forms sent by you and third parties will be needed to assess your eligibility to sit for the exam(s). BGC will evaluate all applicants using the criteria established for the certification eligibility and will not discriminate based on race, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, marital, parental, military, or any other legally protected status. We may ask you for additional documentation when an initial review of your application (or reapplication) indicates that pertinent information is missing or unclear. In that case, a review of your application or reapplication will proceed once we receive the requested information.

 

Application Steps

The application process for becoming certified as a CAESH has three steps. Please familiarize yourself thoroughly with the requirements before you begin your application. Please also note that you must meet all current eligibility requirements.

Step 1: Educate yourself about the process and requirements.  Be sure to view all the information in the EHSA Candidate Handbook.

Step 2:  Go to ____ and pay the application fee. (Coming 1st Quarter 2025)

Step 3: Submission of General Application Documents:

• Go to ___ and complete the application. (Coming 1st Quarter 2025)
• Describe your education and work to meet the criteria of a total of 4 years of a combination of education and experience. This could include academic or continuing education course equivalents in EHS-related topics or EHS experience.
• List academic and continuing education coursework to meet the education requirements.
• For every six months of education you want to use towards the four years of academic education or four years of experience, you must demonstrate the following:
• Six months of education is 12 undergraduate or nine graduate credit hours in an EHS-related degree program.
• 20 continuing education contact hours in EHS-related courses addressing items on the EHSA blueprint equals one semester credit hour.
• If you are using your educational background to determine your eligibility, ask your
  university/universities to send official transcripts to BGC.
• The transcripts must show all degree courses with conferral dates.
• The transcripts must be sent directly to BGC via surface mail or email to applications@GoBGC.org.
• Official transcripts in a sealed envelope with the registrar’s stamp across the seal are acceptable.
• We can NOT accept transcripts uploaded, mailed, or emailed directly from the applicant.
• If your degree was earned outside the U.S. or Canada, BGC will ask you to submit your transcript(s) for a credential evaluation. This can be obtained from a member organization of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. or a member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators.
• Below is a list of different services our applicants have used for transcript evaluations. BGC does not explicitly endorse or recommend one service over another.
• Foundation for International Services
• International Education Evaluations (IEE)
• World Education Services
• Spantran
• Academic Evaluation
  Services

 

 

• Describe your EHS work experience.
• Answer the questions about your work experience on the form, including dates of service and work performed.
• Avoid generic statements like “Recognition, evaluation, and control of environmental factors that may relate to worker illness or impaired health.” Provide sufficient details on your professional responsibilities to highlight your EHS activity.
• Email supporting documentation to applications@gobgc.org

Step 4:  Examination:

• If you have a documented disability, you may submit a Test Accommodation Request Form before the application deadline.
• Pay all examination fees.
• Schedule the exam.

If you successfully meet the requirements of both steps and pass the exam, you will be awarded the EHSA credential.

 

Qualifications and Evaluation

To qualify for admission to the BGC examinations as an applicant, you must comply with all Board requisites:

• Submit only one application per person
• Meet academic requirements/coursework
• Meet the professional work experience requirement documented by references
• Agree to adhere to the BGC Code of Ethics and to be governed by the BGC Ethics Case Procedures
• Pay your application fee and examination fee

Your application packet will remain active for two years until you are certified. You must pay a reapplication fee every two years to keep your application active until you pass the exam.

 

Evaluation

BGC will evaluate all applicants using the criteria established for EHSA eligibility and will not discriminate based on race, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, marital, parental, military, or any other legally protected status.We may ask you for additional documentation when the initial review of your application (or reapplication) indicates that pertinent information is missing or unclear. In that case, the review will proceed once we receive the requested information. 

Confidentiality

The BGC Board treats the original appointment of Directors and staff as confidential information. As noted in the BGC Privacy Policy, all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent unauthorized access to individual information. BGC does not disclose personal information obtained from you or any other applicant to third parties except when authorized in writing by you or, if necessary, to complete the process – for example, arranging for you to sit for the exam.

 

Record Retention

In accordance with the BGC record-retention policy, paper files and electronic documents provided by applicants who have been inactive for three years will be destroyed. Before destroying a file, the staff will attempt to notify you using your last known address.

BGC Director Assessment of Your Eligibility: A Director of the Board is not authorized to give you a determination on your eligibility, either before or after your application is filed.

 

CAESH Reapplicants

An application is active for two years. After the second year, your application expires. You must update the description of your current practice and pay a reapplication fee to reactivate an expired application to sit for the exam. To reactivate an expired application and sit for the exam, you must complete the following steps:

• Submit a Reapplication Application
• Update your work experience information in CAPS to document your current practice
• Meet all current application requirements
• Pay the $150 reapplication fee (non-refundable)

 

Don’t Lose your Application! If your application file is inactive for more than three years without being approved for the exam, it will be automatically purged, and you will have to follow the procedure as a new applicant if you wish to apply again. Please notify us in writing before three years of inactivity to keep your file open and contact information up to date.