The National Safeman's Organization (NSO) is one of North America's largest

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

s of safe and vault technicians. It provides technical training in

safe-cracking Safe-cracking is the process of opening a safe without either the combination or the key. Physical methods Safes have widely different designs, construction methods, and locking mechanisms. A safe cracker needs to know the specifics of whicheve ...

at periodic "Penetration Parties" and offers three levels of certification: * Registered Safe Technician (RST) * Certified Journeyman Safecracker (CJS) * Certified Master Safecracker (CMS) The organization was formed in the fall of 1992 between National Publishing and safe expert Dave McOmie. Mr. McOmie has served continuously as the organization's director. The NSO publishes a quarterly newsletter, ''

The National Safeman ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

''.

Registered Safe Technician

''Registered Safe Technician'' (''RST'') is a qualification awarded to members of the National Safeman's Organization who have passed the required test. This is the first of three levels of certification offered by NSO. To receive the title, a candidate must demonstrate knowledge of parts and lock identification, combination changing and basic servicing, lock facts, and troubleshooting. Passing this test is a prerequisite for taking the level 2 test, for Certified Journeyman Safecracker.

Certified Journeyman Safecracker

''Certified Journeyman Safecracker'' (''CJS'') is the second of three levels of certification offered by NSO. Registered Safe Technicians are eligible to test for this title. They must demonstrate knowledge of tools and techniques, dial-to-lock identification, round doors, square doors, and fire safes. Passing this test is a prerequisite for taking the tests to become a Certified Master Safecracker.

Certified Master Safecracker

''Certified Master Safecracker'' (''CMS'') is the third level offered by NSO. Candidates for the title must have already completed the first two levels of accreditation. Only then may they apply to take the written and practical tests to become Certified Master Safecrackers. The testing involves information detailing all aspects of the safe technician's trade, covering antique

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

GSA container GSA may refer to: Commerce * Citroën GSA, a French automobile * GameSpy Arcade, a utility for use with network computer games * General sales agent, an airline sales representative * Global mobile Suppliers Association, a not-for-profit indust ...

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosur ...

doors, and high-security containers. The written sections concentrate on testing the candidates' research and safe identification skills. The practical sections tests the individuals' actual competence (as opposed to theoretical competence) in trouble shooting,

combination lock A combination lock is a type of locking device in which a sequence of symbols, usually numbers, is used to open the lock. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or ''cams'', by using a set ...

manipulation, and offset drillpoint transferring skills. The CMS accreditation has been available to safe technicians since 1997, and is proctored by the National Safeman's Organization.

References

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External links

Glossary
— Locksoft Locksmithing organizations