UPDATE ON CERTIFICATION OF ERGONOMISTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 1996

Contact: Dieter Jahns
BCPE Executive Director
360/671-7601

Bellingham, WA—The Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics is presently certifying ergonomists/human factors professional by examination. A total of 660 individuals have been certified to date. At present twenty-three candidates have signed up for the April 8 exam to be given at various locations in the United States and Canada. This will be the fourth exam given, with a deadline of February 8, 1996 for sign-up. The exam will also be given Sunday, September 1, 1996 in Philadelphia, PA prior to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society annual meeting. Certification criteria are: (1) a master’s degree in ergonomics (human factors) or equivalent educational background, (2) four years of full-time professional practice in ergonomics with emphasis on ergonomic design, (3) submission of a work product demonstrating the application of ergonomics to a product, process, or environment, and (4) a passing score on the written certification exam. The examination "pass rate" to date has been 67% of those qualified to take the exam.

The BCPE has awarded the Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) and Certified Human Factors Professional (CHFP) designations since 1992. The Board consists of nine (9) Directors who have been instrumental in shaping the profession over many years. In 1990, they established the BCPE as a non-profit corporation for purposes of enhancing the education, skills and practices of practitioners in the profession as a distinct discipline. Although functioning as an independent organization, the BCPE maintains close coordination with those scientific societies and trade associations that have similar interests.

There is a new "Associate" level of certification as of January 1996. A person can be certified by the BCPE as an " Associate Ergonomics Professional" or an "Associate Human Factors Professional" if he or she:

• meets the education requirement for BCPE certification (MS in human factors/ergonomics or related field),
• has passed Part I (on "Basic Knowledge" of human factors/ergonomics) of the BCPE certification examination, and
• currently is working toward fulfilling the BCPE requirement of four years practical experience as a human factors and ergonomics professional.

Candidates for Associate certification can take the Basic Knowledge portion (Part I) of the BCPE exam immediately after fulfilling the education requirement. Parts II and III of the exam may be taken after fulfilling the other BCPE requirements. A person who has graduated from a human factors/ergonomics degree program accredited by an IEA Federated Society (e.g., HFES), will not have to take Part I of the exam. The "Associate" level was established to create a path by which individuals could achieve professional certification in progressive steps.

Three new Directors will be elected to serve on the BCPE Board this year at the mid-year meeting of the Board of Directors in Denver. The positions to be filled are presently held till October by Steven M. Casey, PhD, CPE; Jerry R. Duncan, PhD, CPE; and David J. Cochran, PhD, CPE. The other six Directors who will continue their term on the Board are Hal W. Hendrick, PhD, CPE; Douglas Harris, PhD, CPE; Colin Drury, PhD, CPE; H. Harvey Cohen, PhD, CPE; Lt. Col. Valerie Rice, PhD, CPE; and Ulrika Wallersteiner, MS, CPE.

The BCPE publishes The Professional Ergonomist newsletter quarterly which is free to certificants, and available for subscription to others for $16.00 per year. The test application kit is available for $10.00 (please specify certified or associate level). The certification examination fee is $290.00. The exam fee for the associate level is $100.00. For more information contact the BCPE at P.O. Box 2811, Bellingham, WA, 98227-2811 USA; Phone: 360-671-7601; FAX: 360-671-7681; E-mail: BCPEHQ@aol.com.