Post job

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

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Andrea Welker Ph.D.

An environmental, safety, and health engineer is responsible for developing procedures and designing systems to help prevent an injury, an illness, and property damage. You will perform a few tasks that include monitoring the conditions of the natural surroundings and the impact of humans, assessing potential hazards such as soil, water, and air contaminants, and developing solutions that will benefit the ecosystem and the community. You will also be responsible for developing structures that promote public safety, such as floodgates and bridges.

On this page

Environmental, safety, & health engineer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real environmental, safety, & health engineer resumes:

  • 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.
  • Participate ISO audits for internal and external certifications.
  • Develop and review annual capital plans to ensure that the company appropriately prioritize and address EHS risks and regulatory requirements.
  • Evaluate near miss incidents and complete accident investigations for root cause analysis and formal documentation within internal EHS metrics databases.
  • Provide oversight and technical guidance to facilities, systems, associate support equipment and operations to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.
  • Establish simplified incident/injury reporting criteria, heavy/critical lift guidelines, instructions for handling substance abuse complaints and RCRA monitoring program.

Environmental, safety, & health engineer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineers are proficient in Environmental Health, OSHA, and EHS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Problem-solving skills, and Ability to use technology.

We break down the percentage of Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Environmental Health, 10%

    Apply Environmental Health and Safety principles including risk assessments and hierarchies of control to promote compliance in a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.

  • OSHA, 9%

    Interfaced with regulatory agencies - including OSHA-VPP Program; excellent working knowledge of OSHA, EPA, DOT and NASA requirements.

  • EHS, 8%

    Developed and reviewed annual capital plans to ensure that the company appropriately prioritize and address EHS risks and regulatory requirements.

  • EPA, 4%

    Maintained document files to comply with local, state and EPA regulations for radiation and hazardous waste disposal.

  • Corrective Action, 4%

    Assisted management with accident/incident investigations and near misses and assisted in implementing corrective actions to reduce injury possibilities in the future.

  • Safety Regulations, 4%

    Ensured compliance with company and government health and environmental safety regulations.

Common skills that an environmental, safety, & health engineer uses to do their job include "environmental health," "osha," and "ehs." You can find details on the most important environmental, safety, & health engineer responsibilities below.

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an environmental, safety, & health engineer to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "health and safety engineers must be able to interpret federal and state regulations and their intent so that they can propose proper designs for specific work environments." Additionally, an environmental, safety, & health engineer resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "provided all in-house training for environmental compliance, hazardous communications, first aid/cpr/aed, and cal/osha requirements. "

Problem-solving skills. Many environmental, safety, & health engineer duties rely on problem-solving skills. "in designing solutions for entire organizational operations, health and safety engineers must take into account processes from more than one system at the same time," so an environmental, safety, & health engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways environmental, safety, & health engineer responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "validated permanent solutions were in place for all incident corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence of injuries. "

Most common environmental, safety, & health engineer skills

Choose from 10+ customizable environmental, safety, & health engineer resume templates

Build a professional environmental, safety, & health engineer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your environmental, safety, & health engineer resume.
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume
Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer Resume

Compare different environmental, safety, & health engineers

Environmental, safety, & health engineer vs. 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.

The annual salary of industrial hygienists is $1,465 lower than the average salary of environmental, safety, & health engineers.Even though environmental, safety, & health engineers and industrial hygienists are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require environmental health, osha, and ehs in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between environmental, safety, & health engineers and industrial hygienist. For instance, environmental, safety, & health engineer responsibilities require skills such as "safety regulations," "continuous improvement," "regulatory agencies," and "management system." Whereas a industrial hygienist is skilled in "indoor air quality," "safety program," "occupational safety," and "occupational health hazards." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Industrial hygienists earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $93,692. On the other hand, environmental, safety, & health engineers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $79,721.industrial hygienists tend to reach similar levels of education than environmental, safety, & health engineers. In fact, industrial hygienists are 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Environmental, safety, & health engineer vs. 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. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing every policy and safety regulation of the company.

Ehs manager positions earn higher pay than environmental, safety, & health engineer roles. They earn a $24,682 higher salary than environmental, safety, & health engineers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both environmental, safety, & health engineers and ehs managers have skills such as "environmental health," "epa," and "corrective action. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, environmental, safety, & health engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "osha," "ehs," "safety equipment," and "environmental safety." Meanwhile, an ehs manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "safety training," "oversight," "safety policies," and "safety program." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, ehs managers earn a higher salary than environmental, safety, & health engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, ehs managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $96,976. Whereas environmental, safety, & health engineers have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $79,721.ehs managers earn similar levels of education than environmental, safety, & health engineers in general. They're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for environmental, safety, & health engineers in the next 3-5 years?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.Andrea Welker Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Virtual/augmented reality will play an increasingly important role in visualizing designs and interacting with them.

Environmental, safety, & health engineer vs. Safety supervisor

A safety supervisor is responsible for monitoring the overall operations of a production, ensuring the safety and security of everyone, and enforcing strict regulations and protocols. Safety supervisors organize safety orientations and training for the workers, as well as reiterating disciplinary measures and policies and procedures during meetings. They inspect the workplace, including the maintenance of tools and equipment, immediately calling for repair for any defective items found. A safety supervisor also assists with the investigation of workplace hazards to prevent such complications in the future.

On average scale, safety supervisors bring in lower salaries than environmental, safety, & health engineers. In fact, they earn a $4,246 lower salary per year.environmental, safety, & health engineers and safety supervisors both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "osha," "ehs," and "epa," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from environmental, safety, & health engineer resumes include skills like "environmental health," "continuous improvement," "regulatory agencies," and "environmental regulations," whereas a safety supervisor is more likely to list skills in "safety procedures," "safety program," "safety training," and "patrol. "

Safety supervisors earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $76,175. Comparatively, environmental, safety, & health engineers have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $79,721.safety supervisors typically earn lower educational levels compared to environmental, safety, & health engineers. Specifically, they're 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Environmental, safety, & health engineer vs. Engineer

Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.

Engineers tend to earn a higher pay than environmental, safety, & health engineers by an average of $22,439 per year.According to resumes from environmental, safety, & health engineers and engineers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "iso," "fall protection," and "management system. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between environmental, safety, & health engineers and engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an environmental, safety, & health engineer might have more use for skills like "environmental health," "osha," "ehs," and "epa." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of engineers require skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #. "

Engineers enjoy the best pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $97,672. For comparison, environmental, safety, & health engineers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.In general, engineers hold similar degree levels compared to environmental, safety, & health engineers. Engineers are 2.6% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of environmental, safety, & health engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse architecture and engineering jobs