What is the Certified International Safety Manager - CISM® certification?
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM® is an officially recognized certification program. A Certified International Safety Manager - CISM recipient holds a professional certification and has invested heavily in their skills, education, and experience as a practitioner of safety management. The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM certification is built on an industry best-practice model reflecting the attributes, competencies, and experience necessary to stand out in the field as a safety professional. The certification is backed by the standards, verification, and testing provided by the International Society of Safety Professionals (ISSP).
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM program is designed to be a recognizable measure of professionalism and accomplishment that employers, regulators, customers, and other organizational stakeholders will value in evaluating the capabilities of safety professionals.
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM program evaluates the combination of experience, education, and competency in those areas deemed critical for successful safety professionals.
The process of becoming a Certified International Safety Manager - CISM consists of reviewing four (4) study guides from different Bodies of Knowledge (BOK) and passing four (4) examinations that directly relate to the study guide sections. The applicant will be allowed 120 days to complete this process. A fee of $495 allows the applicant access to all four study guides and examinations. The applicant will be allowed two (2) attempts at each examination and additional retakes at $125, if needed.
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM certification is only available to members of the International Society of Safety Professionals (ISSP). Choose the appropriate option below to join, take a self-assessment prior to registration, or register to become a Certified International Safety Manager - CISM for $495.00.
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What's in the Program?
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM program evaluates the combination of experience, education,
and competency in those areas deemed critical for successful safety professionals.
Experience and education are evaluated against standards and competency is determined through standardized testing against
Certified International Safety Manager - CISM Bodies of Knowledge (BOK). The credibility and success of the
Certified International Safety Manager - CISM program is dependent upon its integrity and transparency which is monitored by
the independent Board of Directors of the ISSP.
The program consists of:
- Four (4) Study Guide References from different Bodies of Knowledge (BOK)
- Four (4) Examinations that directly relate to the study guide sections
Benefits are:
- A Certified International Safety Manager - CISM Certificate signed by safety experts across the globe
- A Certified International Safety Manager - CISM glass desk plaque
- A Certified International Safety Manager - CISM lapel pin
- Your name and Certified International Safety Manager - CISM designation displayed on our website
- An enhanced Safety Professional Credential backed by an international organization
Bodies of Knowledge
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM Body of Knowledge (BOK) contains a collection of theoretical and applied sources compiled by members of the ISSP and reviewed by a group of experienced and respected safety professionals. While the BOK is by no means comprehensive, it represents critical knowledge that one must understand and apply in the field of safety management within any community of safety. The BOK is periodically reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains relevant to contemporary safety management theories and applications. Organizations hiring a safety professional that has been awarded the ISSP’s Certified International Safety Manager - CISM certification can feel confident that the candidate has the prerequisite knowledge, education, training, and experience that meet the standards of our panel of safety experts. The BOK is comprised of four topic areas which can be seen by hovering over the information icons in the chart.
(image of certification in progress)
Study Guide
The purpose of the study guide for the Certified International Safety Manager - CISM is to help the candidate synthesize and summarize the information that was used to create the Certified International Safety Manager - CISM exam. The primary advantage of a study guide is to focus on the specific area of information that is covered by the exam. The study guide is not designed to educate, but rather to help the safety professional organize knowledge with which he or she should already be familiar. In addition to the study guide, a list of references is provided for the candidate’s continuing professional development.
Exam
The Certified International Safety Manager - CISM exam covers the four Body of Knowledge (BOK) topic areas. Each BOK exam module has at least 20 questions. Once you are accepted into the Certified International Safety Manager - CISM applicant program and are granted access to the study guide and references, you are eligible to take the exam. You may take the exam one module at a time on different days or weeks, or you may take all four (4) exams at one sitting. After opening a BOK exam module, you must answer the questions in the module in one setting. You cannot exit the exam and then go back and resume the exam.
Score
After opening a BOK exam module, you must answer the questions in the module in one setting. You cannot exit the exam and then go back and resume the exam. You will receive a score once your responses have been submitted. You must receive a score of 80% in order to pass each exam module. If you do not pass the exam the first time, you will be able to retake that section of the exam. Applicants shall complete and pass all sections within six (6) months of application. If you have not passed all four sections within this time, you should contact contact@isspsafety.org. in order to request an extension.
The work and professional experience of a number of ISSP members, as well as information acquired from extensive research of important publications, papers, and educational resources have been crucial to this baseline effort to represent the knowledge required to serve as a safety professional in an organization. The ISSP wishes to thank their members, Safety Research Corporation of America, and everyone on the Certified International Safety Manager - CISM development team who contributed to this effort. We look forward to contributions from additional members that will add to this BOK as our organization continues to grow.