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Health and Safety Engineer |
Career OverviewHealth and safety engineers are responsible for the prevention of work-related accidents and diseases. They determine the most effective ways to use people, machinery, and materials in ways that will avoid injuries from unsafe practices and products, property losses from accidents and fires, and negative effects of industrial pressures on the environment. They establish work safety rules and safety education programs for workers.
Health and safety engineers’ responsibilities are grouped into four basic areas. First, they must identify and evaluate dangerous conditions and practices. They inspect facilities, machinery and tools. They investigate accidents and analyze work procedures. They study the layouts of buildings and interview workers who are exposed to unsafe conditions.
Second, health and safety engineers develop ways to control or reduce hazards. Using deductive reasoning and creativity they observe situations, analyze data, and solve problems. Third, health and safety engineers communicate all hazard-control information to management and workers. Fourth, health and safety engineers continually monitor hazard-control systems and adjust them when necessary. They gather information from inspections, accident investigations, employee or customer complaints, and sources such as government agencies and regulations. They design and re-design machinery to make it safer to operate, and they train workers in the use of safe procedures.
Health and safety engineers are primarily concerned with preventing accidents. If an accident occurs they investigate the cause. If the cause is mechanical, they use their expertise to correct it and prevent it from happening again. If the cause is related to human error, they may educate the people responsible in proper safety procedures.
Some health and safety engineers work for government agencies. They visit workplaces to inspect machinery and equipment and check for unhealthy working conditions. They discuss their findings with management or employer and request immediate correction of any violation of government regulations.
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Career RequirementsHigh school students interested in becoming health and safety engineers will have to get a bachelor’s degree at the minimum. They should take courses in algebra, calculus, trigonometry, biology, physics and chemistry. Psychology courses will also be useful.
Because communications are important to this profession, students should take English courses that will improve both oral and written skills. They should take speech classes if the school offers them. Students should plan on getting a bachelor’s degree in engineering or one of the biological or physical sciences.
Employers usually prefer an applicant with a bachelor’s or master’s degree that is related to occupational health and safety. These include public health, industrial hygiene, health physics, and fire-protection engineering or management. Applicants with a two-year degree may be able to find employment, but they will need further education to advance in the field.
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Job OutlookJob opportunities in this field are expected to grow as fast as the average rate through 2010. Due to public support, lows in the economy seldom affect safety jobs. The expansion of regulations and compliance programs will increase the number of government jobs. Insurance companies will hire more health and safety workers.
Because of the trend toward automation, there is a growing need for safety professionals who understand electronic-mechanical systems and can make sure they meet safety standards. There will also be a growth in employment opportunities in construction, petrochemicals, multinational corporations, the semiconductor industry, insurance and meatpacking.
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Career TrackAdvancement depends on a person’s education, experience, area of expertise, and certifications. A health and safety engineer in the insurance industry might be promoted to department manager in a branch office and could eventually advance to an executive position in the home office. In industrial companies, health and safety engineers could be made responsible for more than one plant.
Those who obtain degrees in public health and safety studies could go into teaching or research. Because health and safety is so involved with business and government, many health and safety engineers go on to get master’s degrees in business or law.
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CompensationSalaries for health and safety engineers depend on the worker’s area of expertise, education and experience, geographic location and the employer. Salaries range from entry level $23,700 to $67,700, with an average of about $41,100.
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