Career Paths in Safety

Safety professionals work in a diverse set of industries and can earn a median base salary of $104,000 annually with a BCSP certification, according to the 2020 Safety, Health, and Environmental (SH&E) Industry Salary Survey. According to S+H Magazine, 79 percent of current safety professionals recommend a career in safety, expressing a strong sense of satisfaction in ensuring workers return home safely to their families every day.

Your Path

Everyone learns and retains information and experiences differently. Some learn best in an academic setting, while others learn from hands-on experience. There are a variety of paths available to you to begin your safety career.

Begin Your Journey

How would you like to begin a career in safety?

Safety and Health Degrees

You can obtain a college degree in safety and enter the field as a professional. BCSP maintains a directory of safety degrees available at accredited colleges and universities.

When looking for a safety degree, note those from Qualified Academic Programs (QAP), which allow graduates to obtain the Graduate Safety Practitioner® (GSP®). The GSP meets the credential requirement for the Certified Safety Professional® (CSP®), which provides greater recognition, earning potential, and career opportunities.

Safety Work Experience

By taking initiative for ensuring workplace safety, you can build experience, attend training, and gain responsibility for safety that you can turn into a rewarding career.

Entering safety from another field, training like OSHA’s 30-Hour and credentials like the Safety Trained Supervisor® (STS®) or Safety Trained Supervisor Construction® (STSC®) demonstrate a dedication to safety. These certifications recognize various safety training programs, trade or union apprenticeships, and on-the-job experience.

With some SH&E responsibility and experience, participation in a professional safety membership organization and certifications that highlight your safety specialty can bring you greater recognition and increase your impact. BCSP provides the Occupational Hygiene and Safety Technician® (OHST®), Construction Health and Safety Technician® (CHST®), and Certified Instructional Trainer® (CIT®) to demonstrate competency in the industrial hygiene, construction, and safety training fields, respectively.

Information on all these credentials can be found on the Credentials At-A-Glance page.