Industrial Safety And Health Engineers

Industrial Safety and Health Engineers

Description

Plan, implement, and coordinate safety programs, requiring application of engineering principles and technology, to prevent or correct unsafe environmental working conditions.

Tasks

Maintain and apply knowledge of current policies, regulations, and industrial processes.
Recommend process and product safety features that will reduce employees' exposure to chemical, physical, and biological work hazards.
Inspect facilities, machinery, and safety equipment to identify and correct potential hazards, and to ensure safety regulation compliance.
Install safety devices on machinery, or direct device installation.
Investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine causes and preventive measures.
Review plans and specifications for construction of new machinery or equipment to determine whether all safety requirements have been met.
Report or review findings from accident investigations, facilities inspections, or environmental testing.
Interview employers and employees to obtain information about work environments and workplace incidents.
Evaluate adequacy of actions taken to correct health inspection violations.
Review employee safety programs to determine their adequacy.
Conduct or direct testing of air quality, noise, temperature, or radiation levels to verify compliance with health and safety regulations.
Conduct or coordinate worker training in areas such as safety laws and regulations, hazardous condition monitoring, and use of safety equipment.
Provide technical advice and guidance to organizations on how to handle health-related problems and make needed changes.
Interpret safety regulations for others interested in industrial safety such as safety engineers, labor representatives, and safety inspectors.
Maintain liaisons with outside organizations such as fire departments, mutual aid societies, and rescue teams, so that emergency responses can be facilitated.
Write and revise safety regulations and codes.
Confer with medical professionals to assess health risks and to develop ways to manage health issues and concerns.
Compile, analyze, and interpret statistical data related to occupational illnesses and accidents.
Plan and conduct industrial hygiene research.
Check floors of plants to ensure that they are strong enough to support heavy machinery.
Design and build safety equipment.

Knowledge

Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Chemistry: Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Design: Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Physics: Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.

Abilities

Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Work Activities

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Work Context

Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results: How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled: How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets: How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety: How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Structured versus Unstructured Work: To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

Interests

Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Work Style

Integrity: Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Analytical Thinking: Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative: Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Cooperation: Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self Control: Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Persistence: Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Stress Tolerance: Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Leadership: Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Work Values

Relationships: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Related Occupations

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Landscape Architects

Civil Engineers

Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers

Product Safety Engineers

Marine Architects

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

Electrical Drafters

Construction and Building Inspectors

Traffic Technicians

Lay Titles

Chief Security and Safety Officer (CSO)

Corporate Health, Safety, and Occupational Toxicology Director

Corporate Health, Safety, and Security Manager

Environmental Affairs, Safety, and Security Manager

Environmental Health Safety Manager

Environmental Safety Specialist

Health and Safety Coordinator

Health Safety Manager

Health, Safety, and Environment Manager

Industrial Health and Safety Professor

Industrial Health Engineer

Industrial Hygiene and Safety Consultant

Industrial Safety and Health Manager

Occupational Health and Safety Environment Director

Occupational Safety and Environmental Health Consultant

Occupational Safety and Health Manager

Registered Safety Engineer

Regulatory Analyst

RHIC Systems Safety Engineer (Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider Systems Safety Engineer)

Risk Control Director

Risk Prevention Engineer

Safety and Environmental Health Corporate Director

Safety and Environmental Management Professor

Safety and Health Consultant

Safety and Risk Management Program Director

Safety Consultant

Safety Engineer

Safety Manager

Safety, Health, and Environment Vice President

Safety, Health, and Environmental Services Director

Security Engineer

Test Inspection Engineer

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):: $36.94 hourly, $76,830 annual.

Employment (2008):: 23,490 employees