ABSTRACT
The safety profession has a long and distinguished history tracing back to Hammurabi (ca. 1728-1686 BC), who was the sixth king of Babylon. Hammurabi is best known for his codication of laws, which included some, if not the rst, set of worker’s compensation laws known. The safety profession has greatly changed since the days of Hammurabi. On December 29, 1970, Public Law 91-596 (The Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) was signed into law. This legislation focused on controlling workplace hazards and ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the eld of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes. Under the Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created within the Department of Labor. The passage of this legislation highlighted the need for educated and knowledgeable professionals in the area of safety and health. Over the past 39 years, the safety profession has matured, as evidenced by universities offering undergraduate and advanced degrees in safety and health, placement of safety professionals at the highest levels of management and certi-cation of safety professionals. Today’s safety profession requires a broad range of knowledge, including biology, chemistry, mathematics, chemistry, business, and management. Your decision to become a candidate for the certied safety professional (CSP) designation is an important step in your professional career. This book is written to assist you in achieving that ultimate designation as a safety professional.
