Flag hazards in machine plans
Compare plans for an unbuilt machine with safety rules and flag dangers so the designer can address them.
Career profile
Safety Engineer
Safety engineers spot injury risks in machines and products, then help change design or use.
Which problems should get fixed? You answer that by combining plans, accident reports and what workers have noticed on the job.
A day in the life
Find why an accident happened
You read the accident report and question staff, then work out causes and changes that prevent a repeat.
Rework an awkward workstation
Where a task means awkward stretching, join the repair crew and line workers to make that station safer.
Trace how one failure spreads
In aviation safety jobs, model linked systems in software to see how one failure could turn dangerous.
Teach the updated procedure
Walk each worker through the updated procedure in turn and talk over which danger the change targets.
Quick facts
Bachelor's degree
United States
$115,160 median
United States · May 2025
5.4% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor's degreeTypically engineering or a related field.
Pay
$115,160 medianMay 2025 annual wages; $55.36 an hour.
Outlook
5.4% projected growthAbout 1,200 openings annually, averaged over 2025–2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like asking how something could fail.
- You listen carefully when people describe a problem.
- You enjoy explaining technical details in everyday words.
Things to weigh
- Worksite travel may interrupt office routines, and some jobs extend beyond 40 hours a week.
- Finding a hazard is only part of the work; getting others to change equipment or routines takes persistence.
Where AI may help
Software that finds patterns in sensor readings or images—an application of artificial intelligence (AI)—can help flag exposures and unsafe conditions.
What people still lead
Safety professionals still need to evaluate whether a tool's output supports a safe decision, working with developers when the system itself creates risks.
What we can’t predict yet
How much monitoring and risk assessment can be delegated depends on whether these tools work reliably in real workplaces. Errors and intrusive worker tracking can introduce new problems.
Pay in context
Earnings
Your location, experience, and employer can affect your pay.
The middle and the spread
The May 2025 median was $115,160 a year, or $55.36 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned $68,420 or less; the highest-paid 10% earned $171,250 or more. These describe the workforce, not starting and senior salaries.
Workplace pay differs
Annual medians were $116,050 in manufacturing, $113,690 in engineering services, and $103,450 in construction. These compare different groups of workers.
Openings include replacements
Employment is projected to grow 5.4% from 2025 to 2035. About 1,200 annual openings include jobs left by people changing occupations or leaving the workforce.
Getting started
Complete an engineering degree
- What the route involves
- Study chemical, mechanical, industrial, or systems engineering through classroom and laboratory work.
- What it can lead to
- A bachelor's degree meets the typical education requirement for entering safety engineering.
Build experience through a safety internship
- What the route involves
- During your degree, join a safety team as an intern. Aircraft safety placements can involve examining incident data and potential design hazards.
- What it can lead to
- You gain practical experience applying engineering ideas to safety questions before seeking a permanent role.
- What to check
- An internship complements the degree typically needed for entry; it does not replace it.
Engineering licensure generally is not required for entry-level jobs. Practical experience during college can help.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the equipment and work routines at your site. Practice recording hazards clearly enough for someone else to act.
Carry a change through
Develop toward handling a safety improvement from the initial assessment through equipment changes, worker training, and follow-up.
Lead a safety program
With experience, you may lead a factory's safety programs and mentor other safety staff.
Where you can work
Manufacturing plants
You work closely with production and maintenance staff. Equipment modifications and workstation layouts connect your analysis to the factory floor.
- Indoors
- Field work
- Safety-sensitive
Aircraft design organizations
The focus is how aircraft systems behave together. You examine models and incident data, then coordinate findings with design teams and safety review boards.
- Office
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Sketch a stapler from a photo. Mark where a finger could reach moving parts, then draw a change that blocks that contact while keeping it usable. Explain one drawback of your change. Notice whether you enjoy turning a possible injury into a design question.
Stay safe: Keep this on paper; do not modify or test a stapler.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 17-2111.00. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health and Safety Engineers. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Boeing. Safety & Airworthiness Engineering Internships. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- Lennox. Safety Engineer IV — Orangeburg, South Carolina. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Work. Accessed 2026-10-06.
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Practical Strategies to Manage AI Hazards in the Workplace. Accessed 2026-10-06.