What Health and Safety Engineers Do

Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health or safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and consumer products will not cause harm to people or buildings.

Duties

Health and safety engineers typically do the following:

• Review plans and specifications for new machinery and equipment to make sure they meet safety requirements
• Identify and correct potential hazards by inspecting facilities, machinery, and safety equipment
• Evaluate the effectiveness of various industrial control mechanisms
• Ensure that a building or product complies with health and safety regulations, especially after an inspection that required changes
• Install safety devices on machinery or direct the installation of these devices
• Review employee safety programs and recommend improvements
• Maintain and apply knowledge of current policies, regulations, and industrial processes

Health and safety engineers also investigate industrial accidents, injuries, or occupational diseases to determine their causes and to determine whether the incidents could have been or can be prevented. They interview employers and employees to learn about work environments and incidents that lead to accidents or injuries. They also evaluate the corrections that were made to remedy violations found during health inspections.

Glossary:

Procedure: Procedimento

Knowledge: Conhecimento

Furniture: Moveis (mobília)

Duties: Deveres

Evaluate: Avaliar

Effectiveness: Eficácia

Devices: Dispositivos

Improvements: Melhorias

Lead: Levam

Violations: Violações

Source:http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/health-and-safety-engineers.htm#tab-2