The new edition of ASSE’s respected Refresher Guide for the Board of Certified Professionals Safety Fundamentals Examination has been completely updated and revised. Volume 1 was edited by Dave Langlois, CSP, who been an ASSE instructor of ASP and CSP Exam preparation courses for many years. The first volume provides in-depth information in all four ASP Exam Domains and topic areas. The expanded edition also includes chapter-level presentations of both probability and statistics. Volume 2, written by Hamid Kavianian, Ph.D., CSP, a professor at Cal State—Long Beach, contains multiple choice questions, answers, and for computational problems, worked solutions in all ASP Exam Domains/topics. It has been completely revised to reflect the many changes in the current Safety Fundamentals Examination.

PREFACE:

This ASSE Refresher Guide is an aid for the safety practitioner preparing to take the Safety Fundamentals

Examination (formerly the Core Examination) conducted by the Board of Certified Safety

Professionals (BCSP). Previously titled the CSP Refresher Guide, it was first published by the American

Society of Safety Engineers in 1984, and revised in 1991, 1997, 2002 and 2010. In 1997, a separate

“workbook” volume was added containing hundreds of questions to further help applicants prepare

for the Safety Fundamentals Exam. The revised workbook (Volume 2 ) now contains more than 500

problems, many with worked solutions. All major concepts are explained through step-by-step

problem solutions. The new ASSE Refresher Guide has been updated to contain the latest best practices

and current codes, regulations, standards, and textbooks used by safety professionals today. Each

chapter was thoroughly reviewed and modified to reflect the knowledge and skills needed by a

practicing Certified Safety Professional today as defined in the BCSP’s ”Safety Fundamentals Examination

Blueprint, 5th Edition.” Each chapter was carefully reviewed for technical correctness and

relevancy to today’s practice of safety and to the body of knowledge for the safety profession.

Numerous textbooks and references were checked and subject matter experts consulted to assure that

the material is current and relevant. Each chapter was also proofread to assure proper spelling,

syntax, and grammar in order to make it easier to read. The new edition should be a valuable

resource to the ASP/CSP candidate, as well as a viable reference for use throughout a safety career.

The ASSE Refresher Guide is not an alternative to academic preparation and professional safety

experience. It offers an overview of the content of texts and references recommended for study by

the BCSP, as well as other references to enhance your knowledge. It also includes practice questions

to prompt your thinking and refresh your skills in the spectrum of topics presented in the

Safety Fundamentals Examination. The ASSE Refresher Guide is useful as:

• Aself-study planning guide to check familiarity with content items and sample test questions.

• A group-study planning guide to facilitate group discussion of topics and compare and

contrast approaches to safety.

• A content outline guide useful as an overview of the topics that may be contained in the

Safety Fundamentals Examination.

• A guide to the reference texts recommended by the BCSP for preparation for the Safety

Fundamentals Examination. m

The BCSP had no involvement in the development of this Guide, nor has it any connection

with this Guide. The BCSP has not endorsed or concurred with the contents in any way. All

questions about the Guide and its contents should be directed to ASSE, not the BCSP. There is no

direct relationship between the contents of this Guide and the contents of the BCSP Safety Fundamentals

Examination. Information has NOT been compiled by debriefing those who have taken

the exam. Rather, the contents of the Guide are based on the judgment of contributors who decided

which subjects a safety engineer or professional should know. By studying the contents of this

Guide, one should be more prepared to take the BCSP Safety Fundamentals Examination than one

who had not reviewed the material in this Guide. The actual Examination may include subjects

not found in this Guide and this Guide may include subjects not found in the Examination.