Career
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
Design ways to keep people safe from harm at work.
$115,160
Median pay
+5.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,200
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine causes and preventive measures.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $115,160 a year and 1,200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Environmental/Environmental Health EngineeringCIP 14.1401
- Engineering, OtherCIP 14.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians$61,560 · +19.4%
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$90,150 · +18.5%
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$82,220 · +6.1%
- Environmental Engineers$107,110 · +6.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.