Health and safety degrees have a close association with the healthcare field. And given the increasing burden of health issues, health and safety specialists have a great scope to grow and contribute to public health in one or the other way.
Health and safety are fundamental for everyone, so health and safety specialists have demand in almost every public and private industry. But they have more concentration in hospitals, government agencies administering public health and welfare, construction, manufacturing, and research laboratories.
Either way, they anticipate and observe the potential risks and accidents to the safety and well-being of individuals and present solutions.
Their help individuals and organizations prepare, equip, and deal with known and unknown hazards to safety and well-being. For instance, health and safety trainers conduct workshops and educate the public regarding safety hacks if they get stuck somewhere hit by natural and anthropogenic disasters like earthquakes, fire, floods, road accidents, etc.
They also help people manage intangible and abstract threats and challenges to safety and well-being like workplace stress, unprotected exposure to infectious agents, workplace violence, bullying, cybercrime, etc.
In essence, a health and safety career is a broad domain, and health and safety specialists find career opportunities in almost every industry. Many academic institutes also offer flexible degree courses to aspirants to pursue their dreams. Specifically, online safety degrees are more popular for cost-effectiveness, variety of schools, diversity of specialties, fast-paced coursework, and convenience. But whether one pursues online or physical education, career opportunities and benefits are limitless.
The following passages explore a few high-paying and worthwhile career options for health and safety aspirants.
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Health and safety trainer
Employers have legal duties to protect their employees and ensure work activities do not compromise their health and safety. But health risks like falls, slips, repetitive movement injuries, fractures, collisions, sprain from improper postures, back pain, and joint pain are common for workers.
Studies estimate some 340 million occupational mishaps and accidents endangering 160 million victims to workplace-related ailments. Workers also compromise their emotional and psychological well-being while fulfilling work-related commitments. But safety measures, training, and the assistance of experts can minimize such threats.
Research studies also advocate the importance of safety training to manage well-being challenges. Thus health and safety trainers guide workers regarding safe ways to perform their activities and shield them against workplace risks.
They assess risks and engage employees with hands-on practice workshops and one-on-one training sessions with workers to manage workplace risks. As a result, mindful and trained workers are more resilient against illnesses and mishaps. And they are also punctual in their duties.
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Risk inspector
Risk inspectors analyze and evaluate workplace hazards and minimize health and well-being challenges like other health and safety experts. Their duties may vary depending on the work environment and workers’ engagement.
For instance, they survey work sites, monitor activities, and evaluate risks for workers in the development and construction industries. They also coordinate with workers and ask them about prevalent challenges. And then communicate workers’ concerns to the management and organizational leaders and recommend precautionary protocols and policies for workers’ safety.
Risk inspectors are also responsible for overseeing compliance with safety measures and inspecting if the workers have adequate safety kits and gear, such as protective goggles, body suits, gloves, boots, etc.
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Industrial hygienist
Industrial hygienists have a broad scope as they work in almost every industry to guide and inform about the importance of cleanliness and how such practices prevent and minimize health and well-being risks. They identify and evaluate hazards, factors, and loopholes that can jeopardize physical and mental health.
For instance, exposure to chemical substances in manufacturing, construction, and mining industries can lead to skin and lung diseases. Negligence in disposing of biological waste in hospitals can expose many to various contagious pathogens.
Smoking cigarettes in closed and unventilated workplaces exposes everyone to cancerous chemicals. Hence, industrial hygienist help develops cleanliness protocols and oversee the cleaning staff activities.
They also advocate the routine practice of hygiene measures among workers and monitor compliance to yield prompt results in case of acute safety risks.
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Ergonomist
Ergonomy is an applied science that ensures safe encounters between humans and things. Ergonomists are concerned with minimizing well-being challenges at workplaces. Thus designing safer and user-friendly objects, products, tools, machines, activities, systems, work environments, and even technology all fall in their domain.
They strive for compatibility between humans and other constituents of the workplace to ensure better productivity and performance without compromising the safety of workers. Thus ergonomists monitor and analyze how humans perform at workplaces and interact with objects, equipment, machines, and other fellows and associated risks.
Moreover, they are also tasked with improving workers’ interaction with their work environment once they identify and categorize risks and challenges. And to do so, ergonomists apply tried and proven theories and principles to contribute to workers’ safety, well-being, comfort, and performance in the workplace.
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Organizational psychologists
Organizational psychology is another promising career dimension for health and safety specialists, with a median annual package of $80,000. Many seasoned individuals also enjoy lucrative packages of more than $250,000 a year.
Their work revolves around monitoring workers’ psychology, behavior, communication, interpersonal engagement, and working style to evaluate their satisfaction and performance workplace.
They help employees achieve work-related goals and objectives with better interpersonal and behavioral tactics. They help them manage stressors, obstacles, and temptations and how to zoom in on their core targets.
In addition, they guide administrators and decision-making authorities about potential impediments and challenges to workers’ well-being, safety, and hampered performance and how to make the workplace more conducive, friendly, safe, and hygienic.
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Occupational therapists
Occupational therapy is an offshoot of mainstream healthcare fields. Like other healthcare specialties, occupational therapy also promotes the well-being of individuals. Specifically, occupational therapists minimize psychological, physical, developmental, ad emotional challenges and use therapeutic procedures to help cure or subside ailments.
They work with independent clients and help them deal with the risks in their homes or associated with their work environment.
Occupational therapists also work in public and private organizations and help workers prevent well-being threats, recuperate from prevalent health issues, and carry on to their routine schedules unaffected.
Occupational therapy is a promising career option with several opportunities globally, and they also have bountiful pay packages.
Conclusion
Health and safety professionals have a great scope in almost every field since workplace risks are prevalent. Even employees working in healthcare facilities also experience health and well-being risks.
Well-being threats in risky work environments like construction, transportation, recycling, logging, manufacturing, underground mining, and farming are no exception. Thus specialties relating to health and safety back up the well-being of people in one or the other way.
