Mozahem earns scholarship from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals

A December graduate of West Virginia University’s safety management program has been awarded a scholarship from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. The BCSP is recognized as the leader in high-quality credentialing for safety, health and environmental practitioners in order to enhance the safety of people, property and the environment.

By Olivia Miller
Communications Specialist

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Omar Mozahem, a safety management graduate student from Damascus, Syria, received the 2018 Qualified Academic Program/Graduate Safety Practitioner Student Scholarship. The scholarship is given to students interested in becoming Certified Safety Professionals, an accredited certification offered by the BCSP, and comes with an award of $5,000 and a free application to receive the GSP designation.

The GSP designation is awarded to qualified individuals to mark their completion of an accredited academic program as well as establish their intention to obtain CSP certification, one of the highest credentials professionals in the safety field can achieve.

Obtaining CSP status is a strenuous process that requires individuals to complete several examinations and have a minimum of four years of job experience that is at least 50 percent safety related.

For Mozahem, receiving the scholarship from the BCSP has renewed his commitment to become a CSP.

“I completed an internship with GKN Driveline where I implemented a stretching program and introduced exoskeletons to manufacturing processes with a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders,” said Mozahem. “In January, I will begin working for Yates Construction and will be involved with the construction of WVU’s new pediatric hospital.”

“In a little more than one semester, Omar wrote a convincing best management practice paper about the use of exoskeletons in safety, which led to a poster presentation and a trip to the American Society of Safety Professionals Conference in San Antonio, Texas,” said Gary Winn, professor and coordinator of occupational safety and health. “That poster led, in turn, to convincing GKN Driveline to provide future budget allocations for exoskeletons to enable workers to lift heavy automotive parts. It was a perfect blend of safety research and safety application."

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