Careers
Related Skills
These skills will help you have a successful career in the occupational safety and health field.
Our program at Illinois State will give you the education and experience to develop these skills.
Leadership
Occupational safety and health professionals are often called upon to be leaders. They must be able to recognize hazards and threats, and take action.
To be an effective leader, strong communication skills are crucial. This will help you teach and motivate others to act.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Occupational safety and health professionals often manage situations that have a lot going on at one time. They have to analyze the risks and benefits of actions and communicate with diverse groups.
Having good critical thinking and problem-solving skills will help you manage these challenges. and remain calm in tense situations.
Technology
Professionals use specialized equipment to monitor and control hazards. The flexibility to learn new equipment and technology is important.
Related Fields
General job titles people with an Occupational Safety and Health degree might include:
- Accident Prevention Officer
- Industrial Hygienist
- Industrial Safety Supervisor
- Loss Prevention Engineer
- Manager of Safety and Health
- Risk Manager
- Safety Analyst
Occupational Safety and Health majors at Illinois State have found success in the field.
Nora Fredstrom, 2018, is a Safety Analyst at John Deere. She loves the variety of being a safety professional.
"Some days, I conduct compliance audits and work on OSHA-required safety programs. Other days, I participate in design reviews for new manufacturing processes. A constant every day is working with people, from operators on the floor to management, to improve the safety of my factory."
Cheyenne Jessen, 2018, is a Safety Consultant for Sheffield Safety & Loss Control, LLC. She enjoys the diverse groups of people she gets to work with.
"I work with a variety of clientele within the construction industry such as roofing contractors, elevator installation and modifications and MEP trades, assisting companies with on-site auditing, Industrial Hygiene testing, monthly client safety meetings and OSHA 30-hour training."
Kelli Parker, 2012, is an Environmental Health and Safety Manager at Klein Tools. Her role is full of variety.
"My duties include incident investigations, including recording and tracking injury rates. I update, maintain and review safety and environmental policies, develop safety training, including our monthly safety workshops and orient new employees and contractors on safety and environmental requirements. I perform ergonomic assessments, industrial hygiene assessments, job hazard analyses, and protective equipment assessments."
Career Industry Liaison
| Name | Office | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Radcliffe | 223 Bone Student Center | nrradcl@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-2200 |
Internship Coordinator
| Name | Office | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Timmerman | FHS 306B | amtimm1@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-8808 |