Advanced Safety Certificate (ASC)
Build the Leadership Skills That Make Safety Stick
The Advanced Safety Certificate (ASC) from the National Safety Council is a nationally recognized professional development program for safety professionals who want to lead safer workplaces—not just maintain compliance.
Technical knowledge is only part of the job. The Advanced Safety Certificate helps you strengthen the leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills that influence behavior, earn buy-in, and create a stronger safety culture. Whether you’re a safety manager, supervisor, HR professional, or emerging safety leader, this program gives you tools and knowledge you can use immediately.
Why Earn the Advanced Safety Certificate?
Most workplace safety challenges aren’t caused by a lack of policies. They’re caused by communication gaps, inconsistent leadership, and difficulty turning safety into everyday practice.
The Advanced Safety Certificate helps you:
- Build leadership and communication skills
- Increase employee engagement and accountability
- Improve safety performance across your organization
- Strengthen your ability to lead safety initiatives
- Earn a nationally recognized safety credential
Who Should Complete This Certificate?
The Advanced Safety Certificate is designed for safety professionals, supervisors, managers, HR professionals, and anyone responsible for improving workplace safety. Whether you’re building a safety program or leading an established one, the certificate provides practical knowledge that helps you become a more effective safety leader.
How to Earn Your Advanced Safety Certificate
Earning the Advanced Safety Certificate is flexible and can be completed over time. There is no required order that you have to complete the courses in. You must complete the total number of CEUs from the approved courses in under five years to be awarded your ASC. Click through the tabs to see the one required course and all elective courses you can choose from.
Complete the Required Course
Complete the Principles of Occupational Safety & Health (POSH) Course | 2.6 CEUs, 4 days
Complete Elective Courses Totaling 5.2 CEUs (8 Days)
- Effective Safety Management Practices (ESMP) I | 1.3 CEUs, 2 days
- Effective Safety Management Practices (ESMP) II | 1.3 CEUs, 2 days
- Safety Training Methods | 2.6 CEUs, 4 days
- Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene | 2.6 CEUs, 4 days
- Ergonomics: Managing for Results | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Job Safety Analysis | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Safety Inspections | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Incident Investigation | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Team Safety | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Risk Assessment Workshop | .65 CEUs, 1 day
- Industrial Hygiene Basics | .65 CEUs, 1 day
All certificate requirements must be completed within five years.
Recommended Learning Paths
There isn’t a single path to earning the Advanced Safety Certificate. The National Safety Council has recommened course combinations based on your industry to help you get started, but you’re free to customize your schedule.
Follow one of the recommended learning paths below, mix and match courses from the electives list, or contact us at safety@safenebraska.org to build a plan that fits your role, industry, and professional goals.
Agriculture | Construction | Manufacturing
Designed for safety professionals working in manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and industrial environments. This pathway emphasizes hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and safety management.
Recommended Pathway:
- POSH (Principles of Occupational Safety)
- Provides a solid foundation of workplace safety and heatlh
- Safety Inspections
- Overview of the Safety and Health Inspection process
- Job Safety Analysis
- Learn how to dissect processess in your operation and eliminate or reduce hazards inherent with these processess
- Incident Investigations
- Learn how to uncover the who, what, why, when, and how of each incident
- Risk Assessment Workshop
- Indetify a measure of safety performance
- Industrial Hygiene Basics
- Recognizing chemicals, noise, radiation, therman stress, and biological and ergonomic stressors
- Ergonomics
- Conduct an ergonomic worksite analysis
- ESMP ll
- Implementation of safety management system
Agriculture | Construction | Manufacturing
Designed for safety professionals working in manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and industrial environments. This pathway emphasizes hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and safety management.
Recommended Pathway:
- POSH (Principles of Occupational Safety)
- Provides a solid foundation of workplace safety and health
- Safety Inspections
- Overview of the Safety and Health Inspection process
- Job Safety Analysis
- Learn how to dissect processes in your operation and eliminate or reduce hazards inherent with these processes
- Incident Investigations
- Learn how to uncover the who, what, why, when, and how of each incident
- Risk Assessment Workshop
- Identify a measure of safety performance
- Industrial Hygiene Basics
- Recognizing chemicals, noise, radiation, thermal stress, and biological and ergonomic stressors
- Ergonomics
- Conduct an ergonomic worksite analysis
- ESMP ll
- Implementation of safety management system
Government | Insurance | Professional Services | Wholesale & Retail
Designed for professionals responsible for workplace safety programs, inspections, compliance, and employee engagement. Courses focus on inspections, team safety, risk assessment, incident investigation, and safety management.
Recommended Pathway:
- POSH (Principles of Occupational Safety)
- Provides a solid foundation of workplace safety and health
- Safety Inspections
- Overview of the Safety and Health Inspection process
- Team Safety
- Learn how to build effective safety teams
- Incident Investigation
- Learn how to uncover the who, what, why, when, and how of each incident
- Risk Assessment Workshop
- Indetify a measure of safety performance
- ESMP l
- Learn to lead the safety management process
- ESMP ll
- Implementation of safety management system
Education | Healthcare | Non-Profits | Transportation | Waste Services
Designed for professionals responsible for workplace safety programs, inspections, compliance, and employee engagement. Courses focus on team safety, leadership, incident investigation, and safety management.
Recommended Pathway:
- POSH (Principles of Occupational Safety)
- Provides a solid foundation of workplace safety and health
- Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene
- Overview of key processes in an effective industrial hygiene effort: anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control
- ESMP l
- Learn to lead the safety management process
- ESMP ll
- Implementation of safety management system
Utilities | Mining
Designed for professionals responsible for workplace safety programs, inspections, compliance, and employee engagement. Courses focus on inspections, team safety, hazard analysis, incident investigation, and safety management.
Recommended Pathway:
- POSH (Principles of Occupational Safety)
- Provides a solid foundation of workplace safety and health
- Safety Training Methods (STM)
- Learn how to plan, organize, create, and deliver performance-based safety training
- Team Safety
- Learn how to build effective safety teams
- Job Safety Analysis
- Learn how to dissect processes in your operation and eliminate or reduce hazards inherent with these processes
- Safety Inspections
- Overview of the Safety and Health Inspection process
- Incident Investigation
- Learn how to uncover the who, what, why, when, and how of each incident
Start Working Towards Your Certificate
You don’t have to commit to everything at once. Start with one course, build momentum, and grow your skills as you go. Every class brings you one step closer to earning your Advanced Safety Certificate and becoming a more effective safety leader.
Testimonial
“I pursued NSC’s Advanced Safety Certificate because of a single idea which I was eager to realize, “get the confidence you need to lead safety in your organization”. The program was engaging, and I enjoyed rich conversation with safety professionals of varying perspectives and industries. In those few weeks, I learned and shared a lot. I’m happy to say, after receiving my ASC, I have the confidence and knowledge to be the safety leader for my organization. I’ve also just recently been given the responsibility.”