Outcomes-Based Accreditation: Advancing the OSH Profession

In Brief *This article argues for the development of minimum requirements to accredit academic programs in the OSH field. *As a sovereign profession, OSH should have professional boundaries characterized by a standardized set of educational outcomes that represent the knowledge, skills or abilities/...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Professional safety 2015-02, Vol.60 (2), p.39-48
Main Authors: Ramsay, James D., Sorrell, Elbert, Hartz, Wayne E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accreditation
Best practice
Compliance
Discipline
Educational objectives
Engineers
Government mandates
Higher education
Job descriptions
Knowledge
Occupational safety
Professional Development: Peer-Reviewed
Professional ethics
Professionals
Professions
Skills
Strategic management
Students
Workforce
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In Brief *This article argues for the development of minimum requirements to accredit academic programs in the OSH field. *As a sovereign profession, OSH should have professional boundaries characterized by a standardized set of educational outcomes that represent the knowledge, skills or abilities/behaviors required by practitioners. *Without a commonly accepted set of educational outcomes, the discipline is at risk of dilution. *This article focuses on why program-level accreditation is critical to securing a specific body of knowledge and the ongoing maturation of the OSH profession. The OSH profession is wonderfully dynamic and complex. It consists of a mix of line and staff positions; incorporates practitioners from a wide variety of backgrounds; has dozens of professional credentials (e.g., CSP, CIH, OHST, ARM, CPE); is compliant to reams of state and federal mandates; exists in hundreds of industries; and involves a range of disparate work sites from nanotechnology and manufacturing to healthcare, construction and energy generation.
ISSN:0099-0027
2163-6176