Earning Criteria

• Hold at least a 4-year, U.S. bachelor's degree or international equivalent.
• Obtain 40 hours of formal training within 3 years prior to certification in one or more CPEA specialty areas.  Responsible Care professionals must also complete an American Chemistry Council (ACC) qualified Responsible Care course.
• Evidence of four years of work experience.
• Environmental Compliance, Health and Safety, and Management Systems professionals must conduct a minimum of 20 audits totaling a minimum of 100 days within four years of certification.  Of the 100 days, at least 20 days must be conducted on site.  Responsible Care professionals must conduct a minimum of four EMS-related audits consisting of at least 20 total days within two years of certification.
• Pass a rigorous General Auditing Knowledge (Part 1) Exam (131 multiple-choice questions).
• Pass rigorous multiple-choice (Part 2) exams in at least one of four specialty areas: 1) Environmental Compliance (120 questions), 2) Health and Safety (152 questions), 3) Management Systems (76 questions), or 4) Responsible Care (67 questions).
• Pass rigorous written (Part 3) exams  in at least one of four specialty areas: 1) Environmental Compliance (4 essay questions), 2) Health and Safety (4 essay and 4 short-answer questions), 3) Management Systems (3 essay questions), or 4) Responsible Care (3 essay questions).
• Applicants, candidates, and certified practitioners agree to uphold the BGC Code of Ethics and must practice ethically.
• Recertification requires documentation of knowledge, skill, and ethics requirements every 5 years.