Give to Yourself and Your Community
Are you looking for a career where you can give back to your community, and make a difference in the health and safety of American workers? According to the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (n.d.), in 2017, 5,147 workers were killed on the job—equating to more than 14 deaths every day. In the construction industry, 971 workers were killed on the job. In today’s society, we also have added threats to workers from workplace violence incidents.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) (2017), reports that 403 of the 4,679 US workplace fatalities occurring in 2014 were attributed to workplace homicides. To add to that, each year, a staggering two million workers report having been victims of some form of workplace violence. While we have decreased the 1970 number of overall worker deaths by 24 per day, there is still much work to be done. As a safety professional, you will have the opportunity to help send American workers home to their families safely each and every day.
Salary.com reports that the average salary for a Health and Safety Manager in the United States is $106,871, but the range typically falls between $85,830 and $119,429. Of course, actual salary ranges vary depending on factors such as education, certifications, longevity in the field, and specific skills. In terms of job outlook, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunity is positive with a 9 percent growth expected from 2016 to 2026.
Whether you are looking to get your career started, or give it the boost it needs to move onto the next level, the Bachelor of Science in Safety Management (BSSM) will provide the road map for a career in the occupational safety health field.
The BSSM is a Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Qualified Academic Program (QAP). QAP is an academic degree program in safety, health and/or environmental practices meeting BCSP standards for participation, and the curriculum has been reviewed as showing a substantial match to the Associate Safety Professional (ASP). As part of the QAP recognition, a Graduate Safety Professional (GSP) designation is available to safety degree graduates. While not a certification, the GSP program is an alternate path to the Certified Safety Professional (CSP), allowing designees to take the CSP exam without having to take the ASP exam first. Some benefits of GSP designation are:
- Recognition for being on a path toward the CSP certification
- Recognition for the level of preparation for professional safety practice
- No GSP application fee
- Waiver of the ASP examination requirement for CSP eligibility
- Certificate awarding the GSP designation
The BSSM integrates general education courses; core technical skills; and several specialization areas, such as occupational safety management, aviation safety management, emergency management, disaster preparedness, and construction safety management. The coursework addresses major challenges and needs of relevant industries with emphasis on studying state-of-the-art research, information, and methodologies to support and foster superior safety and safety management knowledge, skills, and abilities in businesses today. Students develop not only technical know-how and expertise, but also practical and analytical approaches to problem-solving, allowing them to address a range of industry-related safety challenges. Additionally, for our Occupational Safety Management specialization students, we offer the Bachelor of Science in Safety Management to Master of Science in Occupational Safety Management 4+1 (BSSM-MSOSM 4+1). Senior students who are accepted into the BSSM-MSOSM 4+1 program will be allowed to apply nine (9) specified, graduate credits toward their baccalaureate degree instead of nine (9) specific undergraduate credits in the Occupational Safety Management Specialization. Upon completion of the BSSM requirements, students will be enrolled in graduate school and can complete their MSOSM degrees in one year.
When students earn their degree, they are extremely marketable because of their well-rounded education in safety management. Make a difference in the lives of others and yourself; consider our Bachelor of Science in Safety Management degree program.
Are you ready to take the next step? To further discuss the Bachelor of Science in Safety Management, schedule an appointment with an Senior Enrollment Counselor.
- Kathy Friend, Faculty and BSSM Associate Program Chair
References
Bachelor of Science in Safety Management Playbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://myerauedu.sharepoint.com/teams/DegreePlaybook/Pages/worldwide-bs-safety-management.aspx
CareerOneStop. (n.d.). Occupational Health & Safety Specialist and Technicians Career Video. Retrieved from www.youtube.com
Salary.com. (2019). Salary for Health and Safety Manager in the United States. Retrieved from https://www1.salary.com/Health-and-Safety-Manager-salary.html
United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm
United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Commonly Used Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html