Health and Safety Engineer

Answer 1

For individuals with an interest in science and a desire to help people through the development of safety programs within the workplace, a career as a health and safety engineer may be the perfect career. There are several things to learn about the field, as a potential career. This includes job responsibilities, education and training, and salary potential.

Job Description

The main purpose of a health and safety engineer is to develop and implement safety programs that help to prevent unsafe environmental working conditions or correct them if they already exist. Potential workplace hazards are identified and monitored, and these individuals then apply their knowledge of industrial processes to help reduce or eliminate the risk of injury to people and damage to property.

Health and safety engineers are also required to coordinate with other organizations, like the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and fire departments to guarantee that safety standards are being properly met. Health and safety engineers also conduct experiments to determine the presence of environmental factors like noise levels, radiation, air quality, and temperature. Those results are analyzed to determine if they fall in line with government safety regulations. These engineers also train staff on safety procedures and demonstrate how to use equipment, devices, and clothing properly to prevent injury.

Education and Training

To obtain a position in the health and safety engineering career field, at least a Bachelor’s degree in engineering is required. Engineers also need to be licensed as a professional engineer (PE). Licensing is done by completing a bachelor’s degree, having four years of relevant work experience, and passing a state examination. The first part of the exam is taken right after the student graduates college, and they are then referred to as an engineer intern (EI) until licensing takes place at least four years later.

Salary

The median salary of a health and safety engineer in the United States is $55,121 annually. This can be broken down further by stating the 25th percentile makes $49,079, while the 75th percentile makes closer to $60,000. This will also be dependent on the number of years of experience and the size of the company, so it could potentially be higher or lower depending on those factors. Most health and safety engineers work with government agencies at the federal, state, or local level, but others also work in the private sector with manufacturing industries.