Health and Safety Engineers
On the Job
Health and Safety Engineers use engineering to make work sites safer. They use knowledge of mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and health and safety laws. This career does not include workers who oversee the safety of mines (see Mining and Geological Engineers).
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Confer with other personnel to resolve design or operational problems.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Investigate safety of work environment.
- Investigate the environmental impact of projects.
- Research human performance or health factors related to engineering or design activities.
- Research product safety.
- Determine causes of operational problems or failures.
- Document design or operational test results.
- Maintain operational records or records systems.
- Teach safety standards or environmental compliance methods.
Typical Working Conditions
- Using e-mail.
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Working with a group or team.
- Making decisions that impact co-workers or company results.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Exposure to sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 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.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
