PCI, AIA Work with Safety Orgs. to Develop Exam for Loss Control Professionals

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America and the American Insurance Association have worked been working together, along with professional safety organizations to “define and design a new test of skills needed to provide quality insurance loss control services on an entry-level basis.”

Experts from the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists (CCHEST) in a joint venture with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and the American Industrial Hygiene Association have developed the “Loss Control Specialists (LCS) examination.”

The AIA / PCI announcement said that establishing a baseline set of knowledge for the practice of insurance loss control is important for several reasons.

“First, the roles performed by insurance loss control personnel do not precisely match those of government safety inspectors, safety managers in individual organizations, or other safety practitioners,” observed Arlene Ryndak, PCI director of loss control. “While sharing the same technical safety information and objectives, insurers frequently emphasize different aspects of safety work. The LCS designation will enable insurers to evaluate entry-level personnel on the basis of the safety work they will actually be performing.”

“In addition, loss control specialists play key roles both in moderating the cost of insurance coverage, and in reducing hazards to individual workers and consumers,” noted Ken Stoller, AIA counsel. “This exam is a concrete means of recognizing their significant contribution.”

A series of interviews with insurance loss control managers and practitioners was conducted to determine the basic skills and knowledge needed to provide professional and competent loss control services. Based on these interviews, testing professionals created questions to determine a candidate’s mastery of work site assessment; hazard control and loss prevention; verification; disaster planning, emergency response and professional liability.

Currently, the quality of insurance loss control staffs industry-wide is at an all-time high, as industry consolidations and downsizing have led insurers to retain only the most qualified personnel. Looking to the future, the establishment of a credible base of knowledge for competency will help insurers maintain this high level of service. A well-documented standard, such as the Loss Control Specialists’ (LCS) exam, will assist insurers in assessing, hiring and training their loss control staffs.

A complete description of the loss control specialist examination, associated fees and the examination handbook can be found on the CCHEST web site at www.sschest.org/lcs or call CCHEST at 217-359-2686. To register for the examination, and/or obtain a copy of the examination handbook, fill out the application form included in the handbook and submit it to CCHEST.