BCSP Renaming SMS to SMP – Thoughts?
An update from BCSP:
The Safety Management Specialist® (SMS®) will be renamed Safety Management Professional (SMP) starting March 3, 2025. BCSP claims the change better reflects the 10-year experience requirement, emphasizing expertise, leadership, and alignment with supervisory job titles.
They’ve clarified that nothing else is changing—same accreditation, requirements, and exam (aside from periodic updates). On March 3rd, updated digital badges and wall certificates will be available, and BCSP will remind us to update resumes, email signatures, etc.
What do you all think? Does this make sense, or is it just a branding move? Will this help with industry recognition? Curious to hear your thoughts.
Comments (3)
It may help with industry recognition. It's the same concept as ASSP changing from American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) to American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) so that it didn't imply that it was only engineers.
I think it is a good change. The term specialist always seemed not on the same level as the CSP and ASP. Also the term specialist, in my eyes, means just as the word implies...that you are specialized in something. The problem is someone might not know what you specialize in.
When I led the surface coal mine rescue teams for 10 years, we required our rescuers to specialize in something. You could specialize in medical, firefighting, high-angle rope rescue, confined space, or incident command.
I think the change is good and seems like a marketing or branding move for BCSP. Maybe this will make it easier to market/sell the SMP certification.
I like the change! Thank you for sharing.