Sessions centering on Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) are highly encouraged. These sessions have to meet specific criteria so you will be asked to provide an explanation for HSW learning credits in your submission.

Learning programs directly covering Health, Safety, and Welfare topics will receive LU|HSW credit. For a learning activity to qualify as HSW, it must meet the following criteria:

1. Content must directly support the HSW definition
2. Content must include one of more of the AIA CES acceptable HSW topics​
3. At least 75 percent of the content must be on HSW

The following three standards must be met for a course to qualify for HSW credit.

1. Content must directly support the HSW definition

Licensed architects and affiliated design professionals have, in their professional practice, a positive duty to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare. Learning programs must address knowledge intended to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants of the built environment, as defined below:

• Health: Those aspects of professional practice that improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being of occupants, users, and any others affected by buildings and sites.
• Safety: Those aspects of professional practice that protect occupants, users, and any others affected by buildings or sites from harm.
• Welfare: Those aspects of professional practice that enable equitable access, elevate the human experience, encourage social interaction, and benefit the environment.

2. Content must include one or more of the AIA CES acceptable HSW topics

Technical and professional subjects related to the practice of architecture that safeguard the public and that are within the following continuing education subject areas necessary for the proper evaluation, design, construction, and utilization of buildings and the built environment are considered Health, Safety, and Welfare (HSW) subjects.

Learning programs must address one or more of the following HSW topics to be approved for LU|HSW credit:

• Practice Management: This category focuses on areas related to the management of architectural practice and the details of running a business.
• Project management: This category focuses on areas related to the management of architectural projects through execution.
• Programming and analysis: This category focuses on areas related to the evaluation of project requirements, constraints, and opportunities.
• Project planning and design: This category focuses on areas related to the preliminary design of sites and buildings.
• Project development and documentation: This category focuses on areas related to the integration and documentation of building systems, material selection, and material assemblies into a project.
• Construction and evaluation: This category focuses on areas related to construction contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation of projects.

3. At least 75% of the content must be on HSW topics. 

To qualify for HSW credit, 75 percent of a learning program content and instructional time must be on acceptable HSW topics as outlined above. When submitting a learning program for approval, at least 75 percent of the learning objectives must relate to HSW topics to qualify for HSW designation.

For blended learning programs, the 75 percent requirement applies to the program as a whole.