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Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors

SOC 17-2111.00Job Zone 4 · Considerable Preparationv.26.05

Context coveredThis framework covers health and safety engineering practice across industrial, commercial, and product-development environments—spanning accident investigation, product design evaluation, regulatory compliance, hazard elimination, and worker training from entry-level through executive leadership.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Industrial accident documentation — collect and organize incident data under direct supervision at a manufacturing or commercial facility.
  2. Safety regulations and policies — identify and apply current OSHA standards to routine workplace inspections with guidance from senior engineers.
  3. Hazardous condition recognition — observe and flag physical, chemical, or ergonomic hazards in familiar work environments using established checklists.
  4. Product safety evaluation — assist in reviewing product designs for obvious safety deficiencies under the direction of a licensed health and safety engineer.
  5. Safety training materials — support the delivery of worker training sessions on safety laws, equipment use, and hazard monitoring in a structured classroom or field setting.
  6. Incident reports — draft preliminary written summaries of workplace accidents or near-misses using standardized templates and factual observations.
  7. Database and compliance software — enter inspection findings and safety records into compliance management systems following prescribed data protocols.
  8. Scientific and analytical tools — operate basic analytical instruments to collect environmental or chemical exposure samples under supervised laboratory or field conditions.
  9. Engineering and safety literature — read and summarize technical regulations, safety bulletins, and product specifications to support senior staff decision-making.
  10. Product misuse scenarios — research potential hazards arising from foreseeable product misuse by compiling reference data and prior case studies under supervision.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Industrial accident investigations — conduct structured root-cause analyses of workplace injuries or occupational diseases and propose preventive measures with limited oversight.
  2. Safety-level research — design and execute product safety evaluations using analytical or scientific software, interpreting results against regulatory benchmarks.
  3. Product design review — independently assess engineering drawings and CAD models for compliance with applicable safety codes in a manufacturing or product-development environment.
  4. Worker safety training — coordinate and facilitate training programs on hazardous condition monitoring, PPE use, and emergency procedures for diverse employee groups.
  5. Regulatory knowledge maintenance — routinely monitor updates to OSHA, EPA, and industry-specific regulations and integrate changes into site safety programs.
  6. Hazard-prevention recommendations — develop written procedures for detecting, preventing, and eliminating physical and chemical hazards in industrial or commercial settings.
  7. Inspection and testing reports — compile and present facility inspection findings and environmental test results to site management in clear, actionable written reports.
  8. Systems analysis for safety — evaluate workplace systems and processes to identify latent failure points and recommend corrective engineering controls.
  9. CAD-supported design evaluation — use computer-aided design software to model and analyze product geometries and failure modes relevant to user safety.
  10. Time-managed project execution — plan and prioritize multiple concurrent safety assessments within project schedules, meeting regulatory submission deadlines independently.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Complex accident investigation — lead comprehensive investigations of serious industrial accidents or occupational disease outbreaks, determining systemic causes and authoring authoritative findings reports.
  2. Advanced product safety research — design multi-phase research studies to quantify safety performance of products, applying statistical methods and specialized analytical software.
  3. Full-scope product design evaluation — autonomously evaluate complete product lines or facility designs against federal, state, and voluntary standards, resolving novel or ambiguous compliance questions.
  4. Safety training program development — develop and continuously improve enterprise-wide training curricula using evidence-based instructional strategies and computer-based training platforms.
  5. Regulatory interpretation and application — interpret complex or conflicting regulatory requirements across jurisdictions and translate them into actionable engineering specifications without external guidance.
  6. Multihazard elimination strategy — formulate integrated engineering, administrative, and PPE-based control strategies addressing simultaneous physical, chemical, and process-related hazards in high-risk facilities.
  7. Cross-functional reporting — synthesize accident investigation data, environmental test results, and audit findings into executive-level reports that drive organizational risk-reduction decisions.
  8. Product misuse risk assessment — perform systematic failure mode and misuse analyses on complex consumer or industrial products, quantifying risk levels and prescribing targeted mitigation measures.
  9. Safety management system oversight — monitor and evaluate the performance of site safety management systems using leading and lagging indicators, adjusting programs based on trend analysis.
  10. Stakeholder technical communication — communicate complex safety findings clearly to engineers, legal counsel, regulatory agencies, and non-technical management using appropriate written and verbal formats.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Organizational safety strategy — establish enterprise-level health and safety engineering frameworks and multi-year risk-reduction roadmaps aligned with corporate objectives and regulatory evolution.
  2. Regulatory and policy leadership — represent the organization before regulatory bodies, industry standards committees, and government agencies, shaping emerging safety policy and rulemaking.
  3. Investigation governance — set organization-wide investigation methodologies and quality standards, reviewing and approving findings for high-consequence accidents with significant legal or reputational impact.
  4. Research and innovation direction — lead cross-disciplinary research programs to pioneer new safety-evaluation methodologies for novel products or emerging hazard categories in cutting-edge industrial sectors.
  5. Engineering talent development — mentor and develop cohorts of health and safety engineers, designing structured learning pathways and performance standards that elevate professional capability across the organization.
  6. Product safety governance — chair product-safety review boards, making final authorization decisions on product launches and design changes affecting public or occupational health at scale.
  7. Enterprise training architecture — design and oversee adaptive, technology-enabled training ecosystems—including computer-based and simulation platforms—ensuring workforce competency across geographically distributed sites.
  8. Systems-level hazard integration — direct systems engineering analyses that integrate safety considerations across complex sociotechnical systems—combining human factors, mechanical design, and chemical process risk—at an enterprise or industry scale.
  9. Executive risk communication — advise C-suite leadership and boards of directors on health and safety risk exposure, translating technical findings into strategic business decisions and capital investment priorities.
  10. Knowledge management and standards authorship — author or co-author industry standards, technical guidance documents, and organizational knowledge-management systems that define best practice for the health and safety engineering profession.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Chemical Detection Expert · EHS Intern (Environmental Health and Safety Intern) · Engineer · Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator (EHS Coordinator) · Environmental Health and Safety Engineer (EHS Engineer) · Environmental Health and Safety Manager · Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (EHS Specialist) · Extra Vehicular Activity Safety Engineer (EVA Engineer) · Fire Prevention Engineer · Fire Protection Engineer · Functional Safety Engineer · Health and Safety Coordinator
RAPIDS apprenticeships
—
O*NET skills
Reading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingActive ListeningComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSpeakingSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationMonitoringInstructingActive LearningLearning StrategiesTime ManagementService OrientationSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationPersuasionNegotiation
Knowledge domains
English LanguageEngineering and TechnologyAdministration and ManagementCustomer and Personal ServicePublic Safety and SecurityLaw and GovernmentEducation and TrainingMechanicalMathematicsChemistryDesignProduction and ProcessingAdministrativePhysicsBuilding and ConstructionPsychologyPersonnel and Human ResourcesComputers and Electronics
Abilities
Inductive ReasoningOral ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningWritten ComprehensionOral ExpressionProblem SensitivityWritten ExpressionSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionCategory Flexibility
Work styles
CautiousnessAttention to DetailDependabilityIntegrityIntellectual CuriosityAchievement Orientation
Technology
Data base user interface and query softwareComputer aided design CAD softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareObject or component oriented development softwareCompliance softwareComputer based training softwareCustomer relationship management CRM softwareDevelopment environment softwareMap creation softwareOperating system software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine causes and preventive measures.
  2. Conduct research to evaluate safety levels for products.
  3. Evaluate product designs for safety.
  4. Conduct or coordinate worker training in areas such as safety laws and regulations, hazardous condition monitoring, and use of safety equipment.
  5. Maintain and apply knowledge of current policies, regulations, and industrial processes.
  6. Recommend procedures for detection, prevention, and elimination of physical, chemical, or other product hazards.
  7. Report or review findings from accident investigations, facilities inspections, or environmental testing.
  8. Evaluate potential health hazards or damage that could occur from product misuse.
CIP education codes
14.140114.9999

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.