Frequently Asked Questions

Regular membership is intended for those who work in the OHS&E industry and who actively implement health and safety procedures into their workplace. A regular membership can be for a consultant (internal or external); OHS&E Coordinator, Director, Specialist, Advisor, Manager, Assistant; Registered Nurse; Risk Specialist; Construction Safety Officer, etc. Regular members can participate in elections and vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Associate membership is for those individuals who work with or sell safety equipment. Associate members do not have voting rights at the AGM, but enjoy the same benefits of a regular member.

Membership with the CSSE is individual; there are no corporate memberships. However, the CSSE offers a Group Billing Option for organizations that employ 5 or more CSSE members. If you’re interested in Group Billing, please read the group billing page or contact the CSSE Office at 437-374-4340  TF 844-945-0403.

Once your membership has been processed by the Membership Coordinator, he or she will send you your password via e-mail. This can take approximately 5 business days.

HST is the Harmonized Sales Tax that is applicable to those individuals who live in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

GST is the Goods and Services Tax that is applicable to those individuals who live in the Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon.

To find out if your organization is GST/HST exempt, please contact your accountant or financial services manager.

Yes. However, if you are currently employed as a Health and Safety professional, you must apply for regular membership. Student Membership is intended for those who are not currently employed in the OH&S industry and who are currently enrolled in school.

Memberships with the CSSE are not transferable. If a CSSE member changes jobs, the membership remains with the member.

To become a member of the CSSE, you do not have to be an engineer; however, you must work in occupational health and safety.

The CSSE is an association of Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Practitioners that are engaged in the engineering of safety; that is to say: designing, developing and delivering programs, policies and procedures that manage risk and control loss.

Even though applicants are given the ability to pay their membership online, the “proof of student status” must be received and reviewed in the office before the membership application is completed. Once the entire application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive a confirmation email which will include your login details.

All full time students may apply for student membership, no matter in which country they are a full time student, as long as the applicable proof of “student status” is provided.

The Retired member type is for those no longer employed in the field of Health and Safety and is not associated with the legal retirement age. If you are still employed in the field you are ineligible to apply for the retired membership category.

Yes, course registrations are transferable. Please email membership.education@csse.org with the participant's name and e-mail address.

Registration fees are fully refundable if written notice is received by the CSSE Office a minimum of two weeks before the course. If notice is received less than two weeks before the course, 50% of the registration fee will be refunded. Those who are "no-shows" at the course will receive no refund. Registrations can be transferred at any time.

If you’re interested in the possibility of having a CSSE course come to your area or business, please review the following documents.

In-House Course Option Presentation (PDF)

In-House Course Option Overview (PDF)

Sample In-House Course Agreement (PDF)

The Certified Health and Safety Consultant (CHSC) designation is administered through the CSSE and recognizes and promotes leadership excellence in professional consulting in the area of occupational health and safety. CHSC designation holders have successfully completed additional specialized training on law, ethics, the consulting process, project management, measurement and evaluation, and applied risk communication.

CHSC designation holders are CSSE members who have passed mandatory examinations, hold professional liability protection, and maintain their designation by participating in the Society’s CHSC Maintenance Program to keep them leaders in the field. CHSCs abide by a CHSC Code of Conduct.

To begin the process of earning the designation, the CSSE member must currently be an internal or external health and safety consultant and have a minimum of five years work experience in occupational health and safety and possess minimum prior academic and professional qualifications. Obtain more information about the CHSC here.

The CRSP designation is administered by the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). A CRSP applies broad based technical safety knowledge to develop systems that will achieve optimum control over hazards and exposures detrimental to people, equipment, material and the environment. A CRSP is dedicated to the principles of loss control, accident prevention and environmental protection as demonstrated by his or her daily activities.

The BCRSP conducts a mandatory CRSP Exam and CRSP holders must also be involved in a mandatory maintenance program. For more information, visit the BCRSP website .

The individual health and safety professional must determine for himself or herself which of the two designations best fits his or her current experiences in health and safety and best meets personal professional development objectives at the time.

An individual holding the CRSP designation demonstrates many of the prerequisites for entering the CHSC program.

Many individuals have earned both designations. You will see both designations as ‘expected’ or ‘preferred’ by potential employers depending on the particular expertise or the health and safety role an employer hopes to fill.

Candidates must successfully complete six CHSC courses in total (including successfully passing the course examinations) comprising three mandatory courses (Obligations and Liabilities of the OH&S Professional, Consulting Skills for the OH&S Professional and Applied Risk Communication for the OH&S Professional) and three elective courses from the CHSC education offerings (currently Project Management for the Health & Safety Professional, Measurement & Evaluation in OHS Managed Systems, Essentials of Risk Management, Assessing OHSE Training Needs and Options and Developing OHSE Training Courses).

No equivalency is granted at this time. In other words, no substitutions may be made in lieu of taking any of the six required CHSC courses.

At this time, CSSE does not allow candidates to write a CHSC Exam without having participated in the applicable course.

The CHSC courses may be taken in any order. However, the Education Steering Committee strongly advises taking the Applied Risk Communication course after having successfully completed the other core courses.

Candidates are expected to undertake the first CHSC course within one year after being accepted into the program. Candidates may complete the six courses as quickly as they can manage, but are expected to have completed the six courses within a total of six years after being accepted into the program.

CSSE requires that all CHSC candidates pass the final Exam in each course to successfully complete the course. The pass grade is 75%. Exams with scores 70% - 74% may be appealed, in writing, if accompanied with the appropriate administrative fee.

Course in which candidates have failed an Exam may be re-taken at one-half the normal registration fee. An Exam may not be challenged a second time without re-taking the course again and a course may be undertaken no more than three times in total.

After any unsuccessful appeals and if the candidate has not successfully passed a course after all re-taking options, the individual must withdraw from the CHSC program.

If you've forgotten your password to the CSSE website, please use the "Restore Password" link found on the CSSE login page. You must enter the email address on file with the CSSE. If you're still having difficulty, email admin@csse.org .

The resume posting service is currently available on the home page of the CSSE web site. Resumes are listed on the Positions Wanted page of the Career Depot. If you would like to have your resume posted, please submit it using the online form.

Yes. The Career Opportunities page is one of the most popular pages on the CSSE website. For detailed information on how you can promote your job advertisement on our busy job board, please visit the CSSE Career Depot .