Occupational Safety and Health Workers

Your science teachers, teachers of technical subjects, and school vocational counselors may offer guidance to useful courses of study and any available work-study programs. Math and science clubs may develop your interest in a safety career; debate teams and drama clubs can help you develop communication skills.

You may be able to interview with and attend lectures by occupational safety and health professionals, giving you an opportunity to ask questions and get an overview of the field. Field trips to an industrial plant or other work site will also give you an appreciation for the profession.

There are no shortcuts in the educational process, but as you begin to fulfill your academic goals, you may seek part-time and summer jobs that are related to your career objectives. These jobs in turn may lead to permanent positions upon graduation. Part-time and summer jobs in manufacturing plants will give you firsthand experience in observing working conditions and help you become familiar with some of the equipment that is important to safety workers. You may also be able to find safety- or health-related jobs in local hospitals and insurance companies. Student internships are a good way to enter the field. One of the best-known internship programs is run by the Occupational & Environmental Safety & Health Department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Another way to study the field is to check out some Web sites, such as those of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (https://www.osha.gov) and Safety Link (https://www.safetylink.com).