Product Safety Engineers

Career Description: Develop and conduct tests to evaluate product safety levels and recommend measures to reduce or eliminate hazards.

Industry: Architecture and Engineering

Other Job Titles for Product Safety Engineers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Investigate causes of accidents, injuries, or illnesses related to product usage in order to develop solutions to minimize or prevent recurrence.
• Evaluate potential health hazards or damage that could occur from product misuse.
• Participate in preparation of product usage and precautionary label instructions.
• Recommend procedures for detection, prevention, and elimination of physical, chemical, or other product hazards.
• Report accident investigation findings.
• Conduct research to evaluate safety levels for products.
• Develop plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment.
• Maintain records of drilling and production operations.
• Confer with scientific, engineering, and technical personnel to resolve design, research, and testing problems.
• Write technical reports for engineering and management personnel.
• Evaluate findings to develop, design, or test equipment or processes.
• Assign work to staff to obtain maximum utilization of personnel.
• Interpret drilling and testing information for personnel.
• Design and implement environmental controls on oil and gas operations.
• Coordinate the installation, maintenance, and operation of mining and oil field equipment.
• Supervise the removal of drilling equipment, the removal of any waste, and the safe return of land to structural stability when wells or pockets are exhausted.
• Inspect oil and gas wells to determine that installations are completed.
• Simulate reservoir performance for different recovery techniques, using computer models.
• Take samples to assess the amount and quality of oil, the depth at which resources lie, and the equipment needed to properly extract them.
• Coordinate activities of workers engaged in research, planning, and development.
• Design or modify mining and oil field machinery and tools, applying engineering principles.
• Test machinery and equipment to ensure that it is safe and conforms to performance specifications.
• Conduct engineering research experiments to improve or modify mining and oil machinery and operations.
• Produce presentations of surface and mineral ownership layers by interpreting legal survey plans.
• Design and supervise the development of systems processes or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.

Emerging Tasks

• Develop industry standards of product safety.
• Evaluate product designs for safety.
• Provide expert testimony in litigation cases.
• Keep documentation of service histories on all biomedical equipment.
• Manage team of engineers by creating schedules, tracking inventory, creating and utilizing budgets, and overseeing contract obligations and deadlines.
• Write documents describing protocols, policies, standards for use, maintenance, and repair of medical equipment.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• advise clients regarding engineering problems
• analyze effectiveness of safety systems or procedures
• analyze engineering design problems
• analyze existing evidence or facts
• analyze technical data, designs, or preliminary specifications
• communicate technical information
• develop safety regulations
• evaluate engineering data
• evaluate manufacturing or processing systems
• evaluate product design
• evaluate tool designs
• explain complex mathematical information
• inspect facilities or equipment for regulatory compliance
• interpret employee's medical evaluations
• perform safety inspections in industrial, manufacturing or repair setting
• prepare safety reports
• prepare technical reports or related documentation
• read blueprints
• read schematics
• read technical drawings
• record test results, test procedures, or inspection data
• resolve engineering or science problems
• test equipment as part of engineering projects or processes
• understand engineering data or reports
• use chemical testing or analysis procedures
• use intuitive judgment for engineering analyses
• use scientific research methodology
• use technical information in manufacturing or industrial activities
• use technical regulations for engineering problems
• design tools or mechanical devices
• design transporting processes
• design waste recovery methods
• develop mathematical simulation models
• develop or maintain databases
• develop plans for programs or projects
• develop policies, procedures, methods, or standards
• develop tables depicting data
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• direct and coordinate scientific research or investigative studies
• direct personnel in support of engineering activities
• draw prototypes, plans, or maps to scale
• estimate time needed for project
• evaluate costs of engineering projects
• evaluate engineering data
• evaluate manufacturing or processing systems
• evaluate tool designs
• examine engineering documents for completeness or accuracy
• explain complex mathematical information
• explore for oil or gas
• follow safe waste disposal procedures
• improve test devices or techniques in manufacturing, industrial or engineering setting
• inspect facilities or equipment for regulatory compliance
• inspect project operations, or site to determine specification compliance
• lead teams in engineering projects
• perform safety inspections in construction or resource extraction setting
• perform statistical analysis in physical science or geological research
• plan construction of structures or facilities
• plan oil or ore extraction
• plan production processes
• plan scientific research or investigative studies
• plan testing of engineering methods
• prepare reports
• prepare safety reports
• prepare technical reports or related documentation
• provide analytical assessment of engineering data
• read blueprints
• read schematics
• read technical drawings
• resolve engineering or science problems
• supervise petroleum workers
• test equipment as part of engineering projects or processes
• understand engineering data or reports
• understand properties of gases or liquids
• use computer aided drafting or design software for design, drafting, modeling, or other engineering tasks
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use drafting or mechanical drawing techniques
• use government regulations
• use hazardous materials information
• use intuitive judgment for engineering analyses
• use knowledge of investigation techniques
• use library or online Internet research techniques
• use long or short term production planning techniques
• use mathematical or statistical methods to identify or analyze problems
• use physical science research techniques
• use pollution control techniques
• use project management techniques
• use quantitative research methods
• use relational database software
• use research methodology procedures within manufacturing or commerce
• use scientific research methodology
• use spreadsheet software
• use technical regulations for engineering problems
• use underwater engineering techniques
• use word processing or desktop publishing software
• work as a team member
• write business project or bid proposals
• use pollution control techniques
• use project management techniques
• use quantitative research methods
• use relational database software
• use research methodology procedures within manufacturing or commerce
• use robotics systems technology
• use scientific research methodology
• use spreadsheet software
• use technical regulations for engineering problems
• use word processing or desktop publishing software
• work as a team member
• write business project or bid proposals
• use technical regulations for engineering problems
• use underwater engineering techniques
• use word processing or desktop publishing software
• work as a team member
• write business project or bid proposals

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• n/a

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 9.63%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 2,443
• Employment (2006): 25,380

• Fire Investigators
• Forensic Science Technicians
• Industrial Safety and Health Engineers
• Museum Technicians and Conservators
• Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
• Materials Engineers
• Mechanical Engineering Technicians
• Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
• Petroleum Engineers
• Physicists