Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors

health and safety engineers_1_1.webp
$103,690 Median Wage (2022)
1,500 Projected job openings (2022-2032)
5.1% Projected growth (2022-2032)

Promote worksite or product safety by applying knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws. Includes industrial product safety engineers.

Experience Requirements Overview

  • Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
  • A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
  • Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
  • Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Investigate safety of work environment.
  • Research product safety.
  • Teach safety standards or environmental compliance methods.
  • Update technical knowledge.
  • Advise others on health and safety issues.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

  • Investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine causes and preventive measures.
  • Conduct research to evaluate safety levels for products.
  • Evaluate product designs for safety.
  • Conduct or coordinate worker training in areas such as safety laws and regulations, hazardous condition monitoring, and use of safety equipment.
  • Maintain and apply knowledge of current policies, regulations, and industrial processes.
  • Recommend procedures for detection, prevention, and elimination of physical, chemical, or other product hazards.
  • Report or review findings from accident investigations, facilities inspections, or environmental testing.
  • Evaluate potential health hazards or damage that could occur from product misuse.
  • Evaluate adequacy of actions taken to correct health inspection violations.
  • Interpret safety regulations for others interested in industrial safety, such as safety engineers, labor representatives, and safety inspectors.
  • Review plans and specifications for construction of new machinery or equipment to determine whether all safety requirements have been met.
  • Participate in preparation of product usage and precautionary label instructions.
  • Interview employers and employees to obtain information about work environments and workplace incidents.
  • Provide expert testimony in litigation cases.
  • Review employee safety programs to determine their adequacy.
  • Conduct or direct testing of air quality, noise, temperature, or radiation levels to verify compliance with health and safety regulations.
  • Provide technical advice and guidance to organizations on how to handle health-related problems and make needed changes.
  • Develop industry standards of product safety.
  • Maintain liaisons with outside organizations, such as fire departments, mutual aid societies, and rescue teams, so that emergency responses can be facilitated.
  • Plan and conduct industrial hygiene research.
  • Compile, analyze, and interpret statistical data related to occupational illnesses and accidents.
  • Write and revise safety regulations and codes.
  • Confer with medical professionals to assess health risks and to develop ways to manage health issues and concerns.
  • Design and build safety equipment.
  • Check floors of plants to ensure that they are strong enough to support heavy machinery.
  • Inspect facilities, machinery, or safety equipment to identify and correct potential hazards, and to ensure safety regulation compliance.
  • Install safety devices on machinery or direct device installation.

Work Styles

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Achievement/Effort

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.