Also called: Machine Safety Specialist, Machine Guarding Specialist
Studies factory machines for ways they could crush, cut or trap a worker, then designs guards, light curtains and safety controls.
You walk a plant floor with a checklist, watching a press brake and a robot cell for pinch points. You score each risk, then design a safety fence, a light curtain that stops the machine when a hand breaks the beam, and safe-stop wiring. Later you test it to prove it stops in time.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering or engineering technology, or years as a controls technician.
Ways in: 4-year college, 2-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering.
Growing faster than average. More robots and stricter rules raise demand.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Software helps calculate safety ratings, but spotting real hazards on a plant floor stays human.
Classes: Physics, Electronics class, Algebra, Shop class.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.