Architecture and Engineering · Holland code IRC
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
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.
Also called: Product Safety Engineer, Safety and Health Consultant, Safety Engineer, System Safety Engineer, Health and Safety Specialist, Industrial Hygienist, Industrial Safety Engineer, Product Safety and Standards Engineer.
O*NET 17-2111.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $115,160
- Middle half earn $90,930 to $142,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 4 of 5
- Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +4% · As fast as average
- 23,800 jobs in 2024, projected 24,900. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Health and safety engineers".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Recommend procedures for detection, prevention, and elimination of physical, chemical, or other product hazards.
- Report or review findings from accident investigations, facilities inspections, or environmental testing.
- Evaluate potential health hazards or damage that could occur from product misuse.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Writing3.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.6 / 5
- Monitoring3.4 / 5
Knowledge areas
- English Language3.9 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.8 / 5
- Administration and Management3.7 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.7 / 5
- Law and Government3.7 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic73
- Investigative77
- Artistic1
- Social19
- Enterprising21
- Conventional61
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- health and safety engineer · DE Ingenieur Sicherheit und Gesundheitsschutz/Ingenieurin Sicherheit und Gesundheitsschutz · FR ingénieur hygiène et sécurité/ingénieure hygiène et sécurité
- health and safety officer · DE Arbeitsschutzbeauftragter/Arbeitsschutzbeauftragte · FR intervenant en prévention des risques professionnels/intervenante en prévention des risques professionnels
- construction safety manager · DE Arbeitsschutzmanagementbeauftragter Bau/Arbeitsschutzmanagementbeauftragte Bau · FR responsable sécurité et protection santé du BTP
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
- Quantity surveyors (2453)45,300 employed
- Health and safety managers and officers (3582)87,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.99. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-2111).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
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