Occupation · SOC 17-2111
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.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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—
Annual openings
—
per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 4
Typical preparation
Considerable preparation
Stackable credential programs
256 mapped
Core skills
Reading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingActive ListeningComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSpeakingSystems Analysis
Knowledge areas
English LanguageEngineering and TechnologyAdministration and ManagementCustomer and Personal ServicePublic Safety and Security
Technology & tools
Data base user interface and query softwareComputer aided design CAD softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareObject or component oriented development softwareCompliance software
Representative 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.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Industrial accident documentation — collect and organize incident data under direct supervision at a manufacturing or commercial facility.Safety regulations and policies — identify and apply current OSHA standards to routine workplace inspections with guidance from senior engineers.Hazardous condition recognition — observe and flag physical, chemical, or ergonomic hazards in familiar work environments using established checklists.Product safety evaluation — assist in reviewing product designs for obvious safety deficiencies under the direction of a licensed health and safety engineer.Safety training materials — support the delivery of worker training sessions on safety laws, equipment use, and hazard monitoring in a structured classroom or field setting.Incident reports — draft preliminary written summaries of workplace accidents or near-misses using standardized templates and factual observations.Database and compliance software — enter inspection findings and safety records into compliance management systems following prescribed data protocols.Scientific and analytical tools — operate basic analytical instruments to collect environmental or chemical exposure samples under supervised laboratory or field conditions.Engineering and safety literature — read and summarize technical regulations, safety bulletins, and product specifications to support senior staff decision-making.Product misuse scenarios — research potential hazards arising from foreseeable product misuse by compiling reference data and prior case studies under supervision.
developing
Industrial accident investigations — conduct structured root-cause analyses of workplace injuries or occupational diseases and propose preventive measures with limited oversight.Safety-level research — design and execute product safety evaluations using analytical or scientific software, interpreting results against regulatory benchmarks.Product design review — independently assess engineering drawings and CAD models for compliance with applicable safety codes in a manufacturing or product-development environment.Worker safety training — coordinate and facilitate training programs on hazardous condition monitoring, PPE use, and emergency procedures for diverse employee groups.Regulatory knowledge maintenance — routinely monitor updates to OSHA, EPA, and industry-specific regulations and integrate changes into site safety programs.Hazard-prevention recommendations — develop written procedures for detecting, preventing, and eliminating physical and chemical hazards in industrial or commercial settings.Inspection and testing reports — compile and present facility inspection findings and environmental test results to site management in clear, actionable written reports.Systems analysis for safety — evaluate workplace systems and processes to identify latent failure points and recommend corrective engineering controls.CAD-supported design evaluation — use computer-aided design software to model and analyze product geometries and failure modes relevant to user safety.Time-managed project execution — plan and prioritize multiple concurrent safety assessments within project schedules, meeting regulatory submission deadlines independently.
proficient
Complex accident investigation — lead comprehensive investigations of serious industrial accidents or occupational disease outbreaks, determining systemic causes and authoring authoritative findings reports.Advanced product safety research — design multi-phase research studies to quantify safety performance of products, applying statistical methods and specialized analytical software.Full-scope product design evaluation — autonomously evaluate complete product lines or facility designs against federal, state, and voluntary standards, resolving novel or ambiguous compliance questions.Safety training program development — develop and continuously improve enterprise-wide training curricula using evidence-based instructional strategies and computer-based training platforms.Regulatory interpretation and application — interpret complex or conflicting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions and translate them into actionable engineering specifications without external guidance.Multihazard elimination strategy — formulate integrated engineering, administrative, and PPE-based control strategies addressing simultaneous physical, chemical, and process-related hazards in high-risk facilities.Cross-functional reporting — synthesize accident investigation data, environmental test results, and audit findings into executive-level reports that drive organizational risk-reduction decisions.Product misuse risk assessment — perform systematic failure mode and misuse analyses on complex consumer or industrial products, quantifying risk levels and prescribing targeted mitigation measures.Safety management system oversight — monitor and evaluate the performance of site safety management systems using leading and lagging indicators, adjusting programs based on trend analysis.Stakeholder technical communication — communicate complex safety findings clearly to engineers, legal counsel, regulatory agencies, and non-technical management using appropriate written and verbal formats.
advanced
Organizational safety strategy — establish enterprise-level health and safety engineering frameworks and multi-year risk-reduction roadmaps aligned with corporate objectives and regulatory evolution.Regulatory and policy leadership — represent the organization before regulatory bodies, industry standards committees, and government agencies, shaping emerging safety policy and rulemaking.Investigation governance — set organization-wide investigation methodologies and quality standards, reviewing and approving findings for high-consequence accidents with significant legal or reputational impact.Research and innovation direction — lead cross-disciplinary research programs to pioneer new safety-evaluation methodologies for novel products or emerging hazard categories in cutting-edge industrial sectors.Engineering talent development — mentor and develop cohorts of health and safety engineers, designing structured learning pathways and performance standards that elevate professional capability across the organization.Product safety governance — chair product-safety review boards, making final authorization decisions on product launches and design changes affecting public or occupational health at scale.Enterprise training architecture — design and oversee adaptive, technology-enabled training ecosystems—including computer-based and simulation platforms—ensuring workforce competency across geographically distributed sites.Systems-level hazard integration — direct systems engineering analyses that integrate safety considerations across complex sociotechnical systems—combining human factors, mechanical design, and chemical process risk—at an enterprise or industry scale.Executive risk communication — advise C-suite leadership and boards of directors on health and safety risk exposure, translating technical findings into strategic business decisions and capital investment priorities.Knowledge management and standards authorship — author or co-author industry standards, technical guidance documents, and organizational knowledge-management systems that define best practice for the health and safety engineering profession.
Also known as
207 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
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