We just completed our CSM course in Wilmington, NC and what a diverse crowd we had attend from around the world.  I met with several of the students after the class for a nice, cold beverage and enjoyed some of the feedback I received. We had ‘newbies’ and veterans alike that mentioned it was one of the best safety classes they had attended.  While I would like to take full credit for this and pat myself on the back, I know that the success of the CSM designation goes well beyond the instructor and is rooted in the concepts and philosophies of what NASP is all about.

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One of the principal goals established at NASP’s inception was to find a new way to present workplace safety training that would help employees to remember what they were taught and then teach that training methodology to those trained employees. It was a time (the early 90s) when almost all safety training came in the form of a relentless and tiresome lecture or a series of videos both of which lose the attention of the adult learner very quickly. Employees simply did not remember much of what they heard in those classes. NASP was founded with a deeply-held desire to help reduce deaths and injuries in the workplace. It was obvious that one way to do that was to make safety training more effective by finding a way to help employees remember what they were taught.

NASP decided training must be different. The result was the first use of modern adult training methodology in workplace safety training in the United States. There was some trial and error and a great deal of help and advice from our students before we finally reached a true, cutting-edge course on workplace safety training. Word spread quickly, and we soon had representatives of other safety training organizations attending our courses which included a “how to train” component and utilizing adult training methods. Soon, a number of OSHA employees attended our courses and before long, OSHA began to incorporate this training methodology into their training. We were thrilled to see this innovative approach take root and grow in the United States.

Fast forward twenty plus years and we continue to make our mark in the arena of workplace safety training. We have many other competitors with similar names, but there will always be only one Certified Safety Manager Course. Our last CSM in 2018 will be held in New Orleans on October 1-5, 2018. Click here to register now.

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About the Author

Eric Gislason

Eric Gislason is the CEO and Executive Director of NASP. He is also one of the principal trainers, specializing in OSHA compliance and development of workplace safety culture. Eric has over 33 years of experience in the EHS field, having trained individuals from across the spectrum on OSHA/EPA compliance including manufacturing, oil and gas, construction, warehousing, healthcare, and retail.
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