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.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. BLS publishes wages, growth, openings and typical education for this occupation as a whole (SOC 17-2111); 1 related specialty shares them.
State licensing. Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors is licensed or registered in 49 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 41 professional certifications to Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors. 20 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Accessibility Inspector/Plans Examiner (AIPE), Associate Safety and Health Manager (ASHM), Building Plans Examiner (BPE), Certified Fire Plan Examiner I (CFPE), Certified Sustainability Professional (CSP). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 3.7 hours and sit about 4.4 hours per day. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (91.4%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors (2 related careers are counted together) are Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (15% of the jobs counted, median pay $110,440), Management of Companies and Enterprises (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $129,560), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $83,240), Scientific Research and Development Services (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $134,820) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($138,080), Federal Executive Branch ($136,990), Chemical Manufacturing ($135,600). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Industrial engineers, including health and safety", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 8.1 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 10 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Architecture and engineering", which includes this career, 6.4% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $2,083 for union members and $1,921 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For the occupation group that includes health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors (the Department reports one figure for the 6-digit occupation code, which covers 2 related careers), employers filed 138 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 138 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $107,900 (the middle half ran from $84,600 to $121,300) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors in the work done and the skills used: Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, Environmental Compliance Inspectors, Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health, Environmental Engineers, Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health, Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers, Industrial Engineers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Engineering, Other
CIP 14.9999