THE GOLD STANDARD IN PERSONNEL FUNCTIONAL SAFETY CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS. Introduced in 2000 by exida, CFSE was the first personnel functional safety certification program in the industry, and remains the longest running program to this day. Since then, other certification programs have been introduced, but CFSE remains the “gold standard” of all programs. It has remained so because of its unmatched consistency and integrity as well as its unwavering focus on developing the knowledge and skills to be successful. The focus of the program has always been on developing usable knowledge and skills, rather than just passing a test. It is the only program that is standardized globally, which means that the same certification criteria and exams are used in every country. Another element unique to CFSE is that training and grading of exams are done completely independently, which ensures that there is no conflict of interest in the certification / audit process as required per IEC 17024.