What are the best job prospects for environment, health, and safety (EHS) professionals? Where do they get paid the best, and where are prospects dimming? Today and tomorrow, we will take a look at recent trends and projected growth for three jobs critical to EHS. Note: Median salaries for this article have been compiled from BLR’s EHS Salary Guides.
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Industrial Safety and Health Engineers
Industry safety and health engineers promote worksite or product safety by applying knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, chemistry, psychology, and industrial health and safety laws.
Table 1 outlines median salaries for industrial safety and health engineers from 2014–2016, nationwide and for the states with the highest and lowest median salary.
Table 1: Median Salaries for Industrial Safety and Health Engineers 2014–2016
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Nationwide | $80,396 | $83,548 | $86,546 |
| Highest median | $111,180 (Alaska) | $126,236 (Alaska) | $133,246 (Alaska) |
| Lowest median | $57,865 (Arkansas) | $53,266 (Montana) | $40,603 (Montana) |
Although Alaska has the highest median income for industrial safety and health engineers, Louisiana actually saw the largest percentage jump in salary for this job, which went from a median of $68,989 in 2015 to a median of $80, 091—a jump of 16.09%. Montana not only had the lowest median salary for industrial safety and health engineers 2 years in a row but it also took the biggest percentage dive at -23.77%.
The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment of health and safety engineers to grow 6% by 2024 (baseline 2014). The BLS indicates that this growth will be fueled by the healthcare industry because of the high cost of accidents in hospitals.
Accident prevention, particularly with regard to radiation safety, is likely to become increasingly important for the healthcare industry as a way of cutting costs. As a result, strong demand is expected for health and safety engineers in consulting firms. Demand is also expected to be strong in construction.
Another area that will contribute to the growth in employment of health and safety engineers is the emerging field of software safety engineering. According to the BLS, the need to apply the principles of systems safety engineering to software is likely to grow as more machines and mechanical devices are controlled by software.
Emergency Management Directors
Emergency management directors coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural and man-made disasters or emergencies.
Table 2 outlines median salaries for emergency management directors from 2014–2016, nationwide and for the states with the highest and lowest median salary.
Table 2: Median Salaries for Emergency Management Directors, 2014–2016
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Nationwide | $64,036 | $65,712 | $68,879 |
| Highest median | $100,184 (California) | $104,254 (California) | $109,625 (California) |
| Lowest median | $33,089 (Illinois) | $39,584 (Indiana) | $38,772 (Arkansas) |
California has the highest median income for emergency management directors, but West Virginia saw a huge percentage jump in salary for this job, which went from a median of $48,947 in 2015 to a median of $60,480—a jump of 23.56%. Even though Arkansas had the lowest median income for emergency management directors in 2016, Michigan took the biggest dive for this job—from $68,203 in 2015 to $61,523 in 2016, a -9.79% drop.
The BLS projects that employment of emergency management directors will grow about 6% (average) by 2024 (baseline 2014).
Although more people and areas may be vulnerable to disasters because of changes in weather patterns, hiring is expected to be limited by local and state budgets. Growing urbanization and a population shift toward coastal regions may also increase the number of people living in these high-risk areas.
Employment is projected to increase as local and state governments place a greater emphasis on preparing for natural and man-made emergencies and seek to minimize the risks of being underprepared to deal with such emergencies. Employment growth, however, may be somewhat limited because of budgetary constraints in state and local governments. Although local and state revenue and spending have increased since the end of the Recession, continued budget uncertainty and other spending obligations may lead only to modest growth in government hiring.
Some local and state governments, however, may need to limit emergency management services and hiring because of budgetary constraints. In addition, some local and state governments are increasingly relying on federal financial assistance to fund their emergency management agencies. Similar budgetary problems at the federal level may lead to more cutbacks. Some smaller counties may not hire full-time, stand-alone emergency management directors, choosing instead to shift the job responsibilities to the fire chief, police chief, or other government employee.
Employment is likely to grow most quickly in private companies. Emergency management directors will be needed to help businesses and organizations continue to provide essential products and services during and after emergencies. However, as in state and local government, some smaller companies, hospitals, or college campuses may not have a stand-alone director. Instead, an information technology (IT) director, a registered nurse, or a public safety officer may handle the emergency management duties.
Tune into tomorrow’s Advisor for the job outlook for training and development specialists.