
About the EPI Recertification Program
The purpose of the BGC Certification Maintenance (CM) program, which began in 1979, is to ensure that Diplomates (individuals holding the CIH, CAIH, QEP, CPPS, CPEA or CPSA credentials) develop and enhance their professional-level knowledge and skills during the time period that they are certified by BGC. Individuals holding the Environmental Profession In-Training (EPI) designation are considered “Certificants,” but not Diplomates, because the EPI is a “designation” that is a stepping stone to the QEP credential, but it is not a credential in and of itself. EPIs are required to adhere to the professional, enforceable BGC Code of Ethics; however, BGC has no requirement for EPIs to document their ongoing professional development during the seven years that they are allowed to hold the certification, because the expectation is that the EPI is learning through work experience, mentoring, coursework, and other professional actives in order to grow as an environmental professional in preparation for taking the QEP exam.
All BGC certifications include a yearly fee to maintain them after they are awarded. Normally, your annual fee is paid by the beginning of each year. Your first annual fee may be prorated depending on the month or window in which you sit for the exam.
Steps to Transition from the EPI to the QEP
Individuals holding the Environmental Practitioner In-Training (EPI) designation are considered “Certificants,” but not Diplomates, because the EPI is a “designation” that is a stepping stone to the QEP credential, but it is not a credential in and of itself. EPIs are required to adhere to the professional, enforceable BGC Code of Ethics; however, BGC has no requirement for EPIs to document their ongoing professional development during the seven years that they are allowed to hold the certification, because the expectation is that the EPI is learning through work experience, mentoring, coursework, and other professional actives in order to grow as an environmental professional in preparation for taking the QEP exam.
All BGC certifications include a yearly fee to maintain them after they are awarded. Normally, your annual fee is paid by the beginning of each year. Your first annual fee may be prorated depending on the month or window in which you sit for the exam.
To qualify for admission to the BGC examinations as an applicant for the QEP credential, 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 on the basis of race, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or 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 not proceed until we receive the requested information.
Submitting your application well in advance of deadlines may give you sufficient time to provide additional information without delaying your approval to sit for the exam. Your application packet is active for two years. If you do not pass the exam within the two years, you are required to submit an updated supervisory reference and pay a reapplication fee every two years to keep your application active.
Step 1: Meet annual certification requirements:
- Abide by the BGC Code of Ethics
- Maintain up-to-date contact information
- Maintain documents to demonstrate your work experience
- Maintain contact with individuals who will provide your professional references
- Pay annual fees
Step 2: Within 7 years of being awarded the EPI certification:
- Show that you have worked in environmental practice for at least 5 years (60 months)
- Have 3 supervisory references on file on the Board’s QEP Professional Reference Questionnaire (PRQ) Form
- Pay the non-refundable application fee and submit your application
- Pass the QEP (Part 2) examination
If you successfully meet the requirements of both steps, you will be sent a new certificate, a digital badge, and be allowed to continue to identify yourself as a QEP.
Certificant Identification
A BGC Certificant is a person who does not hold a full credential but has met the qualifications for education, experience, and examination and has continued to meet obligations, which include practicing ethically and paying annual fees. Certifications such as the EPI may only be held for 7 years, after which the Certificant must sit for the QEP exam.
It is BGC policy that the names and certification types of all Certificants in good standing are listed in the BGC Practitioner Rosters. The term in good standing means that the Certificant is paid up on all fees and is not involved in an ethics dispute.
A practitioner who has less than seven years of environmental practice, has not been awarded the Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) credential, and has an environmental certification from BGC by passing the General Environmental Science (GES) exam is allowed to use the BGC-awarded certification term:
Environmental Professional In-Training® (EPI®)
The above terms are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as is the BGC logo and the terms Board for Global EHS Credentialing® and BGC®.
EPI Annual Maintenance Requirements
Code of Ethics
During the applications process, each Certificant agreed to adhere to the BGC Code of Ethics. It is a condition of certification that all Certificants practice ethical behavior to the best of their abilities.
Any individual may file an ethics complaint by completing the Ethics Charge Statement Form located in the Ethics section. All complaints are treated seriously and, where warranted, further investigated by the BGC Ethics Review Committee, which may include the use of Legal Counsel. The Committee is appointed by the BGC CEO. A Certificant found to be in violation of the BGC Code of Ethics will be subject to a range of sanctions up to and including decertification.
Notice of Felony Convictions
Please note that any practitioner who has been convicted of a felony must report it to the BGC within 90 days of the conviction.
Contact Information & Communications
Certificants are responsible to maintain up-to-date contact information in the BGC roster to ensure that communications are sent to a current address. Once a year, BGC asks that all Certificants verify their contact information on record. Certificants should do this as often as needed, not necessarily waiting for the annual prompt.
BGC communicates with Certificants on a regular basis, primarily using email. If the Certificant does not have an email address on file, some (but not all) communications may be sent via postal mail. For email, the Certificant must use an email address that is not blocked or filtered (which can sometimes occur with company, military, or academic IT systems). When this occurs, a personal email address may be more effective for ensuring that electronic communications are received by the Certificant.
Changes to certification program requirements are announced on this website. In addition, as the change warrants, email or postal communication may also be sent directly to the Certificant.
It is the responsibility of the Certificant to read the communications and ensure understanding.
Annual Fees
Payment of annual fees is a condition of maintaining certification. Fees are paid in advance of the upcoming year. Annual fees are non-refundable.
Certificants are sent several email notices of payment beginning in September. During this time period, it is important to have up-to-date contact information for the Certificant.
Fees must be postmarked or paid online by the due date. If not paid on time, the Certificant will owe an additional late fee and will be classified as “not in good standing” with BGC. The Certificant will be listed as such on BGC public rosters and will also have reduced functionality on any BGC private rosters.
If fees are unpaid for two successive years, the Certificant will be decertified in the third year.
Each year, BGC evaluates the need for a fee increase. Annual fee increases are set primarily based on an annual cost of living adjustment, but additional costs may be factored in each year.
EPI Recertification by Examination
Recertification by examination is not available for the following certifications:
- Certified Associate Industrial Hygienist (CAIH)
- Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH-Aspects)
- Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP)
- Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI)
If you have any questions, please contact the BGC office.
EPI Dates, Deadlines, and Fees
EPIs must pay their annual fee no later than January 15th of the year in which it applies. A late fee will apply to fees paid after this date.
Giving Up Your EPI Certification
EPIs may voluntarily surrender their certification before their certification expires (unless involved in a BGC ethics case). If voluntary surrender is chosen, the individual is no longer referred to as an EPI. This request can be made via the Retire/Voluntary Surrender Request Form. BGC publishes the names of persons who have elected to voluntarily surrender their certification.
EPIs who surrender their certification:
- Can continue to practice in their Environmental practice
- Can use the BGC certification designations only when referencing the years of active certification, e.g., Environmental Professional In-Training, 2000-2003
- Cannot use the BGC embossing seal, digital badge, or stamp
- Are removed from the BGC email distribution list
- Are relieved of fees requirements
- Must reapply under the QEP program if they wish to obtain another BGC environmental credential
- Are subject to BGC ethics case procedure provisions if found to be in violation of the voluntary surrender terms
Former Certificants can continue to be listed in the BGC online roster depending upon their status.
If the Certificant is | Then the person |
In good standing1 |
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Not in good standing |
|
1 No unresolved ethics issues and current on all fees (due before the end of a CM cycle).
2 Current fee is posted on the BGC website.
Involuntarily Decertification
An EPI fails to maintain certification when any of the following conditions occur:
- Annual fees (renewal & late) have not been paid for more than 2 years
- An ethics review results in a decertification sanction
BGC may revoke a person’s certification at any time for cause related to an ethics sanction.
When an EPI fails to renew the certification, BGC sends a written notice of expiration to the person’s current postal mailing address. BGC will publish the names of persons whose certification has expired.
Decertification decisions can be appealed following the Certification Appeals Procedure.
Except for an ethics-related decertification, a formerly certified EPI may only pursue reactivation of BGC status as a QEP, not as an EPI.
It is considered unethical conduct for a person to advertise himself/herself as a BGC Diplomate or Certificant (e.g., CIH, CAIH, QEP, CPPS, CPEA, CPSA or EPI) if the person:
- Is not currently certified by BGC
- Has allowed the certification to expire
- Has voluntarily surrendered the certification
- Has chosen retired status
- Has been de-certified for cause
BGC reserves the right and does take legal action when a non-credentialed person is found to be advertising himself/herself as a BGC Diplomate/Certificant.
Reactivating Your QEP Certification
Practitioners who gave up a BGC certification are able to recertify depending on how they were decertified.
If you are de-certified …
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… and you want to recertify … | you may recertify by … |
For any reason except an ethics sanction | At any time | Taking the examination: complete at least 2 hours of ethics training in the previous 60 months, pay reapplication & exam fees, and Apply for Recertification. |
By Voluntary Surrender or BGC Retirement | Before your cycle ends | Submitting a written request, paying the annual fees. |
≤ 5 months after your cycle ends
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Submitting acceptable CM Points for the previous CM cycle. Paying the current annual fees and late CMP submission fee (if due). | |
> 5 months after your cycle ends | Submitting acceptable CM Points submission for the previous 60 months. Paying the current annual fees and a processing fee. | |
By failing to submit acceptable CMP records
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Submitting CM Points for the previous 60-months immediately preceding the reactivation request
Including proof-of-participation records to support that the minimum CMP requirements were achieved (you will be audited). Submit the CM By Exam form (must be a former CIH certifed in the Comprehensive Practice of industrial hygiene). Complete at least 2 hours of ethics training within the previous 60 months. Pay the $350 reactivation examination fee plus any unpaid annual fees, current, back, and late fees. |
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Failing to pay annual fees
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Before your cycle ends | Submitting a written request. Paying the current annual fee plus all back fees. |
After the cycle ends | Submitting acceptable CM Points for the previous 60 months. Paying the current annual fee, all back fees, activation fee, and a late CMP submission fee if due. |
When a former Diplomate is reactivated, BGC will issue a new certificate, certification letter, digital badge, and will publish the person’s name on the BGC Diplomate Public Rosters.
The Diplomate’s previous certification number will be reassigned only if the reactivation request is approved before the expiration date of the most recently issued (but now invalid) BGC certificate. The paper certificate expiration date is five months after the end of the previous CM cycle.
Volunteer Opportunities for EPIs
BGC offers volunteer opportunities for certified practitioners in active practice and formerly certified practitioners. All volunteers must be in good standing with BGC. BGC-certified individuals who serve on a BGC committee (including the BGC Board) may be eligible for recertification credit. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the BGC office.
BGC Volunteer Activities | Credential (CIH, CAIH, QEP, CPPS, CPEA, CPSA) |
Designation (EPI or a Retirement Status) |
Voluntary Surrender |
Application Committee: BGC-credentialed practitioners who sit on the Application Committee advise BGC on issues related to the eligibility of applicants for BGC certification. Recertification Committee: BGC-credentialed practitioners who sit on the Recertification Committee advise BGC on issues related to the recertification or credential maintenance of existing BGC certified practitioners. Examination Committees/Panels: BGC-credentialed practitioners who sit on examination panels assist BGC in the development and update of BGC certification exams.
Ethics Review Committee: Members of this committee conduct reviews to collect and weigh all the available information in order to determine whether violations of the Code of Ethics or Ethics Case Procedures have occurred. Ad Hoc committees: Members of Ad Hoc committees provide recommendations to BGC on specific topics of interest. |
Yes | Yes | No |
Item Writing: Any BGC-credentialed practitioner is allowed to submit questions for potential inclusion in BGC exams. BGC also conducts an annual meeting where several practitioners work as a group to develop new questions. Practitioners who submit questions that are accepted by BGC may also be eligible for recertification credit. | Yes | Yes | No |
Validation Survey: Participants in validation surveys ensure that the BGC exams reflect the essential knowledge necessary for competent practice. | Yes | No | No |
BGC Board: BGC’s Board of Directors is comprised of twelve Diplomates (BGC credential holders) for four-year terms and one public member for a two-year term. These individuals govern the organization through strategic decision making. | Yes | No | No |
BGC Ambassador: A BGC Ambassador serves as an official representative of BGC. An ambassador must be knowledgeable about BGC practices and may be assigned to specific duties on behalf of BGC such as presenting at conferences and serving as a point of contact for applicants. | Yes | Yes | No |
Mentoring: BGC-credentialed practitioners can provide valuable education, training, and guidance for professional and personal growth to individuals who intend to apply for a BGC certification. BGC-certified practitioners who are involved in a formal mentoring program may also be eligible for recertification credit. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Writing Professional References: Applicants for BGC credentials require references from individuals who are familiar with their work and can confirm the timeframe when work experience is being claimed. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Documents and Forms for EPI Practitioners
Documents and forms contain tools and information for helping you with your BGC certification. The types of resources available are indicated by several icons:
- Downloadable Static Document
- Downloadable Form
- Link to online Content
- Link to an online Form
All-Credential Documents
ITEM | DESCRIPTION | |
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Attendance Verification Form | For documenting participation at an educational event. |
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BGC Bylaws | |
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BGC Governing Policies | |
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Confidentiality Agreement | |
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Privacy Policy | |
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Certification Appeals Procedure | Procedures for appealing adverse application, examination, recertification, or reactivation decisions. |
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Trademark and Certification Mark Use Policy | Rules and requirements for using BGC trademarks, service marks, and certification marks. |
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Practitioner Public Rosters | |
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BGC Newsletters |
EPI Practitioner Payments
Please verify that you have an outstanding annual renewal payment that is due by calling 517-999-6402. If you proceed with making a payment, without verifying and you need to have the payment refunded, you will incur a processing fee. The processing fee is based on the amount paid. Thank you. BGC Staff
We do not take payment over the phone. Alternatively, you can mail a check to:
BGC
Attn: EPI Payments
6005 W St. Joe Hwy Ste 300
Lansing, MI USA 48917