How to hire an environmental, safety, & health engineer

How to hire an environmental, safety, & health engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step environmental, safety, & health engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an environmental, safety, & health engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental, safety, & health engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an environmental, safety, & health engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the environmental, safety, & health engineer you need to hire. Certain environmental, safety, & health engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An environmental, safety, & health engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, environmental, safety, & health engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of environmental, safety, & health engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer	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 and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$24-45
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49
   EHS Manager	An environmental health safety (EHS) manager is in charge of developing and implementing safety programs for a company's workforce and work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations, devising preventive measures, spearheading training and seminars, and investigating workplace accidents and identify causes to ensure that it would not happen again... Show more	$33-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Environmental Health
   • OSHA
   • EHS
   • EPA
   • Corrective Action
   • Safety Regulations
   • Hazardous Waste
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • ISO
   • Fall Protection
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Management System
   • Risk Assessments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA and NJDEP regulations and manage site remediation program at a specialty chemical manufacturing facility.
   • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
   • Coordinate EPA sampling and testing to ensure compliance with storm water permits.
   • Maintain document files to comply with local, state and EPA regulations for radiation and hazardous waste disposal.
   • Complete training in ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 internal auditor training and assist with audits conduct on site.
   • Provide management & technical support to NASA and contractor facilities; includes development of OSHA and flight safety hazard analyses.

   More environmental, safety, & health engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your environmental, safety, & health engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An environmental, safety, & health engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an environmental, safety, & health engineer in Georgia may be lower than in Louisiana, and an entry-level environmental, safety, & health engineer usually earns less than a senior-level environmental, safety, & health engineer. Additionally, an environmental, safety, & health engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average environmental, safety, & health engineer salary

   $69,638yearly

   $33.48 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level environmental, safety, & health engineer salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average environmental, safety, & health engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$88,728	$43
   2	Louisiana	$88,675	$43
   3	Ohio	$80,633	$39
   4	Pennsylvania	$77,647	$37
   5	Texas	$74,942	$36
   6	Colorado	$71,706	$34
   7	Oregon	$70,971	$34
   8	Maryland	$69,739	$34
   9	New Jersey	$69,151	$33
   10	Virginia	$69,051	$33
   11	Alabama	$68,339	$33
   12	Nevada	$67,855	$33
   13	Minnesota	$66,662	$32
   14	Washington	$62,415	$30
   15	Arizona	$61,414	$30
   16	Kentucky	$60,363	$29
   17	Florida	$58,984	$28
   18	Indiana	$58,437	$28
   19	Kansas	$55,512	$27
   20	Utah	$55,186	$27

   Average environmental, safety, & health engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Western Digital	$115,489	$55.52
   2	Zoox	$110,391	$53.07	3
   3	Amazon	$110,132	$52.95	494
   4	Entegris	$106,099	$51.01
   5	Intel	$103,832	$49.92
   6	Masimo	$103,582	$49.80
   7	AbbVie	$101,692	$48.89	17
   8	Watson Pharma Pvt Ltd	$98,394	$47.30
   9	Calgon Carbon	$97,735	$46.99
   10	Maxim Integrated	$97,170	$46.72
   11	W. R. Grace & Co	$92,135	$44.30
   12	BRP US Inc	$91,250	$43.87
   13	Blue Bird	$89,868	$43.21
   14	Seagen	$86,643	$41.66
   15	Bayer MaterialScience LLC	$85,258	$40.99
   16	PerkinElmer	$83,685	$40.23	2
   17	BWX Technologies	$82,970	$39.89	8
   18	MACOM	$82,906	$39.86
   19	Precision Castparts	$82,370	$39.60	8
   20	Jabil	$82,365	$39.60	7

4. Writing an environmental, safety, & health engineer job description

   An environmental, safety, & health engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an environmental, safety, & health engineer job description:

   Environmental, safety, & health engineer job description example

   The EHS Engineer will work with the site EHS Manager to oversee the implementation and administration of programs, protocols and procedures to ensure the safety, health and environment of employees, contractors, visitors and the community. This employee will ensure compliance is maintained with all local, state, and federal occupational health, safety and environmental laws, regulations and guidelines as well as with corporate EHS policies and procedures ·Environmental, Health & Safety Program Coordination: Works with EHS Manager to develop and implement on-site environmental, health, and safety protocols and procedures in accordance with general corporate policies and regulatory requirements. Conduct routine plant audits to ensure EHS programs are functioning effectively in all areas of the plant. Perform frequent safety observations on all plant operations and implement corrective actions when required. Coordinate site Management of Change/Chemical Approval process. Works closely with all levels of the organization to assure that all risk associated with EHS are documented and appropriately ranked by priority for immediate and/ or scheduled action. · Training: Assists EHS Manager in developing and delivering required environmental, health and safety trainings to all levels of employees. Monitors training matrix and ensures make-up trainings are delivered when required. · ISO 14001: Participate on internal ISO 14001 audit team. Perform routine environmental management system audits. Track site environmental targets/objectives. · World Class Manufacturing (WCM): Supports site WCM initiatives. · Environmental Management: Works with site Wastewater Treatment Technician to learn the operations of the site Wastewater Treatment System. Will act as back-up when Wastewater Treatment Technician is not on site or during periods of increased wastewater generation. Ability to become certified in Method 9 visible emissions reading and perform Method 9 readings on site equipment.
   Required Qualifications
   
   Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Engineering or equivalent Engineering Discipline Any other related duties, goals and/or activities as assigned
   
   Additional Description
   
   Ability to critically think and solve problems Willingness to learn and develop new skills Highly motivated with ability to be self-directed Hands on leader who leads by example and values time invested on the shop floor Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities Project Management Skills Knowledge of chemical risks, environmental science, and human health Possess regulatory knowledge (OSHA, EPA, NHDES) Hands on leader who leads by example and values time invested on the shop floor Must possess good people skills in order to convey safety procedures and protocols to all levels of the organization Experience with presenting or communicating with small groups of hourly employees for training or other purposes Must be proficient in Microsoft office ITAR Compliance: Saint-Gobain in Merrimack, NH is an ITAR-compliant facility. Due to ITAR regulations, successful candidates for this position may only be U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire. US Export Controls: U.S. Export Control laws and U.S. Government Department of Defense contracts and sub-contracts impose certain restrictions on companies and their ability to share export-controlled and other technology and services with certain "non-U.S. persons" (persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents of the U.S., refugees, "Temporary Residents" (granted Amnesty or Special Agricultural Worker provisions), or persons granted asylum (but excluding persons in nonimmigrant status such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, etc.) or non-U.S. citizens. To comply with these laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within Saint-Gobain that may present access to export controlled technical data, Saint-Gobain must assess employees' U.S. person status, as well as citizenship(s).
   
   Legal Statement
   
   Saint-Gobain provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Saint-Gobain is an equal opportunity employer of individuals with disabilities and supports the hiring of veterans.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right environmental, safety, & health engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with environmental, safety, & health engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit environmental, safety, & health engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your environmental, safety, & health engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit environmental, safety, & health engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with environmental, safety, & health engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new environmental, safety, & health engineer

   Once you've selected the best environmental, safety, & health engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new environmental, safety, & health engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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