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Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
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.
Other titles employers use
Health and Safety Specialist · Industrial Hygienist · Industrial Safety Engineer · Product Safety and Standards Engineer · Product Safety Consultant · Product Safety Engineer · Safety and Health Consultant · Safety Engineer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to analytical, practical and organizing work.
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
Useful strengths
- Inductive Reasoning
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.0 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.8 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.7 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.4 | Little of the day |
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Development environment software
- Object or component oriented development software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Document management software
- Operating system software
- Web platform development software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 3,110
- Job openings each year
- 200
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 14.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3,110 | 200 | 14.8% |
| California | 2,400 | 140 | 9.1% |
| New York | 1,770 | 10 | 6.0% |
| Florida | 1,390 | 90 | 12.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,290 | 70 | 4.0% |
| New Jersey | 1,030 | 60 | 8.4% |
| Georgia | 990 | 60 | 11.2% |
| Wisconsin | 850 | 50 | 9.0% |
| Missouri | 840 | 50 | 10.5% |
| Michigan | 740 | 40 | 5.7% |
| Maryland | 710 | 40 | 9.2% |
| Oklahoma | 680 | 40 | 6.3% |
| Alabama | 590 | 40 | 5.4% |
| Washington | 490 | 40 | 14.0% |
| Ohio | 480 | 30 | 2.1% |
| South Carolina | 470 | 30 | 11.9% |
| Tennessee | 470 | 30 | 9.3% |
| Minnesota | 460 | 30 | 7.0% |
| Utah | 420 | 30 | 23.5% |
| Virginia | 360 | 20 | 5.9% |
| Louisiana | 350 | 20 | 9.4% |
| Colorado | 340 | 20 | 13.3% |
| New Mexico | 290 | 20 | 11.5% |
| Nevada | 280 | 20 | 12.0% |
| North Carolina | 280 | 20 | 12.0% |
| Kentucky | 270 | 20 | 3.8% |
| Illinois | 250 | 10 | 4.2% |
| Indiana | 250 | 10 | 4.2% |
| Massachusetts | 240 | 10 | — |
| Idaho | 230 | 10 | 15.0% |
| West Virginia | 230 | 20 | 4.5% |
| Arizona | 200 | 10 | 11.1% |
| Iowa | 200 | 10 | 5.3% |
| Mississippi | 200 | 10 | 11.1% |
| District of Columbia | 190 | 10 | 5.6% |
| Arkansas | 180 | 10 | 5.9% |
| Nebraska | 180 | 10 | 5.9% |
| Alaska | 160 | 10 | 14.3% |
| Oregon | 140 | 10 | 7.7% |
| Connecticut | 130 | 10 | 8.3% |
| Delaware | 80 | 0 | — |
| Kansas | 70 | 0 | — |
| Puerto Rico | 60 | 0 | 20.0% |
| New Hampshire | 50 | 0 | 25.0% |
| Maine | 40 | 0 | — |
| Rhode Island | 40 | 0 | — |
| South Dakota | 40 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Northeastern University
- Degrees each year
- 157
- Admit rate
- 6%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
Purdue University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 96
- Admit rate
- 50%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Stanford University
- Degrees each year
- 94
- Admit rate
- 4%
- Annual cost after aid
- $3,000
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 67
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 58
- Admit rate
- 54%
- Annual cost after aid
- $26,000
The University of Texas at Austin
- Degrees each year
- 54
- Admit rate
- 29%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 52
- Admit rate
- 16%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
University of Colorado Boulder
- Degrees each year
- 51
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Compare every college offering environmental/environmental health engineering