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Safety Engineer

Safety Engineer profiles score highest on Analyzing and Safety-Seeking. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$115,160per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Bachelor's degreetypical for the occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 17-2111.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Promote worksite or product safety by applying knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws. Includes industrial product safety engineers.

Skills rated most important

Reading Comprehension75
Active Listening69
Critical Thinking69
Writing69
Complex Problem Solving66

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams93
Contact With Others82
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled75
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled62
Spend Time Sitting59
Spend Time Standing45
Spend Time Walking or Running35
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body25
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles21
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling21
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance15

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Safety Engineer profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Analyzing76
Safety-Seeking74
Operating72
Persevering64
Exploring62
Law-Abiding62
Organizing61
Harmonizing42
Influencing22
Helping21
Creating3

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • High Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.
  • High Law-Abiding. Measures your commitment to ethics, rules, and fairness. High scorers value honesty, follow procedures, and prefer environments with clear moral guidelines.
  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • High Persevering. Measures your persistence and resilience in the face of challenges. High scorers push through obstacles, maintain long-term focus, and value grit as both means and end.
  • High Influencing. Measures your drive to lead, persuade, and shape outcomes. High scorers are confident communicators who naturally take charge and direct others.

Friction points

  • Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • Low Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.
  • Low Law-Abiding. Measures your commitment to ethics, rules, and fairness. High scorers value honesty, follow procedures, and prefer environments with clear moral guidelines.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Bachelor's degree.

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

A considerable amount 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.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Safety Engineer?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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