Safety Engineer

Safety, Health, and the Environment

ITEC 3305

What is an engineer?

• An engineer is someone who can take a simple idea and see through it to the bottomless pits of messy, complexity that lies underneath. Sean McGrath, CTO, Propylon

An engineer who errs may harm hundreds

• Engineers can make a significant contribution to safety.

• Correspondingly, they can cause, inadvertently or through incompetence, accidents that result in serious injury and property damage.

• The engineer has more potential to affect safety in the workplace than any other person does.

• Dr. Raj Desai, Ch. 27 Lecture Notes

Safety engineer

• The title safety engineer is sometimes a misnomer because it implies that the person is a degreed engineer. This may not be the case, as typically the title is given to the person who has overall responsibility for the company’s safety program.

• This person is responsible for the traditional aspects of the safety program such as preventing mechanical injuries; falls, impact and acceleration injuries; heat and temperature injuries; electrical accidents; fire related accidents and so on.

• Dr. Raj Desai, Ch. 27 Lecture Notes

• If engineering is one of the most important aspects of safety, and there are positions titled safety engineer, why are there no formal degrees in safety engineering?

• What follows is a sample curriculum for a B.S. in Safety Engineering, as well as sample minors for further specialization.

Fall (First Year) Spring

Calculus I Calculus II

Principles of Chemistry I Principles of Chemistry II

P. of Chemistry I Lab P. of Chemistry II Lab

English 1302 US History 1877 to Present

US History to 1877 Local and State Government

American Government Oral Communications

Fall (Second Year) Spring

Calculus III Calculus IV

Engineering Physics I Engineering Physics II

E. Physics I Lab E. Physics II Lab

Statistical Analysis IStatistical

Analysis II

CAD Materials Science

AC/DC CircuitsDifferential

Equations

Fall (Third Year) Spring

Engineering EconomicsHazardous Materials

Management

Occupational Ergonomics

Legal Aspects of Safety and Health

Engineering ElectiveTraining and

Development

Engineering ElectiveIntroduction to Fire

Prevention

Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health OSHA Standards

Fall (Fourth Year) Spring

Risk Management Safety Project Management

Accident Investigation Safety Theories and Practices

Process Safety Toxicology

Safety Elective Industrial Hygiene

Safety Elective Organizational Theory and Behavior

Minor in Mechanical Engineering Option

• Introduction to Mechanical Engineering• Thermodynamics I• Thermodynamics II• Mechanics I• Mechanics II• Dynamics• Introduction to Design• Introduction to Design Lab

Minor in Electrical Engineering Option

• Introduction to Electrical Engineering

• Engineering and Computer Programming

• Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering

• Electronics I

• Electronics II

• Electromagnetic Theory I

• Electromagnetic Theory II

Minor in Industrial Engineering Option

• Principles of Industrial Automation

• Engineering Design Production

• Operations Research I

• Operations Research II

• Work Analysis and Design

• Engineering Design for People

Minor in Petroleum Engineering Option

• Physical Geology• Physical Geology Lab• Structural Geology• Geology of Hydrocarbons• Introduction to Petroleum Engineering• Petroleum Development Methods• Petroleum Production Methods• Formation Evaluation• Petroleum Property Evaluation

Certifications

• Graduates would be eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, given by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

• After passing the FE, the engineer would have to gain 4 years of real world experience; then they would be eligible to take the Principles and Practices of Engineering Exam.

• After passing the PE/PS, the engineer would obtain their Professional License.

• The Professional License allows the safety engineer to render consultation services to whoever may be interested.

• Graduates could also take the exam given by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals of America.

• Questions?