Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
Under the title Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors, workers promote worksite or product safety by applying knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws. Expect to investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine causes and preventive measures. Its interest code is IRC. Investigative leads at 5.6 out of 7, so expect research, analysis and working through hard problems, with Realistic next at 5.4. Plan on a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience; O*NET labels this considerable preparation. Strength in reading comprehension, writing, and critical thinking helps most here. If you want research, analysis and working through hard problems, keep it on your list. If you need creative work with room for original expression, it may feel thin.
What they do
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.
Main 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.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Systems Analysis
- Speaking
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and writing.
May not suit you if
- You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code IRC takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.
Preparation
Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.
Also called
- Health and Safety Specialist
- Industrial Hygienist
- Industrial Safety Engineer
- Product Safety and Standards Engineer
- Product Safety Consultant
Related careers
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See how your interests line up with IRC and 906 other careers.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.