Certification

As appeared in ISHN’s “FDO”

July 1998

Everybody is talking about it..... "certification this and certification that..." .... and for good reason. To certify is to ... attest to as true or accurate or to guarantee or to endorse or having as fulfilling the requirements, etc.

Therefore when selecting safety items for use it is obvious the more certifications - the better. Whether it's a product certification or personal certification - the third party scrutiny is an ally in your corner!

Competition today, being truly global, there are so many products to choose from and so many people selling them. Since we're talking about safety products let's ask a few questions that will eliminate a few of the bunch.

When we're talking products, "Is it ANSI approved?" (American National Standards Institute) "Is it SEI certified?" (Safety Equipment Institute)

"Does it meet ASTM Standards?" (American Society for Testing & Materials)

"Does it meet NFPA Standards?" (National Fire Protection Association)

"Is it UL Approved?" (Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.)

"Is it FM Approved?" (Factory Mutual Engineering Corp.)

and so on.

On the people side ask:

"Are you a member of ASSE?" (American Society of Safety Engineers)

"SEDA", "NIGDA, ISEA, SEMAA, MANA, AIHA", "NSC", NFPA"?

(Safety Equipment Distributors Association)

(Natl. Industrial Glove Distributors Association)

(Industrial Safety Equipment Association)

(Safety Equipment Manufacturers" Agents Assn.)

(Manufacturers¹ Agents National Assn.)

(American Industrial Hygiene Assn.)

(National Safety Council)

(National Fire Protection Assn.)

Find out who you are talking to, what's his/her involvement, background, professionalism, interest -and is he/she interested in and qualified to discuss your problems? Is he/she a Certified Safety Pro­fessional (CSP)? Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)? Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM)? Certified Professional Manufacturers' Representative (CPMR)?

Look at it this way - third party certification in both products and people gives you a much better prospective or criteria when selecting the proper products to be worn or used by the worker - and isn't that what it's all about? Safety and Certification - think about it!

George J. Hayward

Executive Director SEMAA (Safety Equipment Manufacturers' Agents Assn.)