A safety engineer creates new guidelines, equipment, and procedures to protect industrial workers’ health and safety. A manufacturing plant, consulting firm, insurance company, or government agency may hire him or her to monitor work activities and provide expert advice on how to identify and improve dangerous conditions. To perform the job, a safety engineer must have a thorough understanding of mechanical engineering principles, health and safety laws, and business administration. Most professionals must have a college diploma and obtain licensure or certification in their field.
Working in a large manufacturing plant with heavy machinery can be noisy, stressful, filthy, and dangerous. The safety engineer’s job is to reduce workplace hazards identifying and resolving potential issues before they occur. To assess safety concerns, a professional takes a tour of the facility and speaks with employees. He or she keeps track of potentially hazardous procedures or machines in order to compile a detailed report for management.
After completing a report, the safety engineer begins to brainstorm solutions to problems and prevent accidents. He or she may make changes to equipment schematics and blueprints to correct design flaws, or he or she may conduct a training session to teach employees safer procedures. The engineer may decide to implement new worker health and quality-control policies, as well as schedule regular preventive maintenance rounds to keep machines in good working order.
A safety engineer may be hired full-time a manufacturing plant to monitor activity or hired as a consultant to travel to various locations. Safety engineers are employed insurance companies to advise business owners on how to improve working conditions and lower their policy rates. Regional and federal government agencies hire skilled safety engineers to conduct regular walk-throughs of large facilities to ensure they are in compliance with the law.
In most cases, a bachelor’s degree in occupational health or engineering is required to work as a safety engineer. Many government engineers have master’s degrees or higher in industrial hygiene, and engineers who work on new machinery research and design frequently have specialized training in mechanical engineering. Before they can provide consulting services, many regions and countries require safety engineers to pass licensing exams. Additional certification from a reputable organization, such as the American Society of Safety Engineers in the United States, can aid in your job search.
To get a better understanding of the job, new safety engineers usually start as assistants to experienced workers. Assistants learn how to write reports and, when necessary, make official recommendations. After demonstrating their abilities and dedication to the job, new engineers are allowed to work unsupervised.