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Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure

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.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $115,160 Median per year · $55.36/hr Most earn $68,420–$171,250

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Develop industry standards of product safety.
  • 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.
  • Report or review findings from accident investigations, facilities inspections, or environmental testing.
  • 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.

Job outlook

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 1,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Engineering services9.8%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals4.7%
  • Management of companies and enterprises4.4%
  • Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences4.4%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals4.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degree

Health and Safety Engineer is a professional job that usually requires a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field. Some people start in it right after graduating, while others first gain a few years in safety roles, so the total time varies.

  1. Bachelor's degree in engineering, safety engineering, or a related science

    4 years

    Coursework in mechanics, chemistry, industrial processes, and workplace safety laws gives you the base knowledge this career uses every day.

  2. Entry-level Safety Engineer

    1-3 years

    You learn to inspect workplaces and products, investigate incidents, and apply safety standards under the guidance of experienced engineers. Some people skip this step and apply directly to health and safety engineering jobs after graduation.

  3. Health and Safety Engineer

    Career goal

    You design safety programs, review processes and products for hazards, and make sure work meets health and safety laws.

Where it can lead

  1. Safety Manager

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on responsibility for a team or a whole site's safety program, including budgets, training, and reporting to leadership.

  2. Director of Environmental Health and Safety

    5-10 years of experience first

    You lead safety, health, and environmental strategy across several sites or a whole company, usually with significant management experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and physicsStrong math and physics skills are the foundation for the engineering degree this career usually requires.
  • Take chemistry and any available engineering or drafting classChemistry helps you understand hazardous materials, and design or drafting classes build the problem-solving habits engineers use.
  • Get a starter job in a warehouse, kitchen, or retail storeWorking in a real workplace teaches you how safety rules are applied day to day and how teams handle hazards.
  • Join a robotics, science, or STEM clubClub projects give you experience working in teams, testing designs, and spotting what could go wrong.

In college

  • Choose an engineering or safety-focused majorA degree in industrial, mechanical, or chemical engineering, or a safety engineering program if your school offers one, matches what employers usually look for.
  • Take courses in workplace safety, industrial hygiene, or occupational healthThese classes cover the laws and hazard-control methods that this job applies every day.
  • Pursue a summer internship in safety, manufacturing, or qualityHands-on experience at a plant or company helps you learn real safety practices and can lead to a job offer.
  • Join a student engineering or safety organizationClubs and chapters give you leadership experience, networking with professionals, and chances to compete in design or safety projects.
  • Look into a safety certification once you have work experienceCertifications in occupational safety are commonly valued by employers and show your commitment to the field.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for jobs or internships at factories, construction firms, or product companies, since hands-on exposure to real safety work helps you stand out.
  • Learn to write clear reports and explain risks to people who are not engineers, because much of this job is communicating safety rules.
  • Ask a working safety engineer for a short informational interview to learn what their days look like and which classes helped them most.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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