| Safety Distance Learning Masters is the path chosen | | | | to do with the increasingly important role these |
| by working engineers to specialize in this rewarding | | | | professionals have come to assume in design teams, |
| career, and both the demand for Safety Engineers, | | | | during the past several years. |
| as well as the role they play in design teams have | | | | Though many aspects of Safety Engineering have |
| increased. Safety Engineering, a specialization of | | | | been in practice since the early 1900s, it was only |
| Systems Engineering, has matured during the past | | | | very recently that Safety Engineering gathered |
| few decades, to become an independent branch in | | | | prominence and momentum in the industry as an |
| its own might, mainly due to the development of | | | | engineering branch in its own might. The problem was |
| unimaginably complex systems in military, industry, | | | | that though Safety Engineers were always part of |
| and civilian infrastructure, which hold the potential to | | | | the engineering team, their role was limited to |
| cause massive catastrophe to human life and | | | | inspecting completed projects for possible hazards, |
| property, as well as serious financial damage. | | | | and recommending additional modules to overcome |
| The field of Safety Engineering should not be | | | | the detected safety problems. Such an ad-hoc |
| confused with the related but clearly distinct field of | | | | approach to Safety Engineering - often called |
| Occupational Health and Safety, sometimes called as | | | | 'Industrial Safety' - is followed even to this day in |
| just Health and Safety. To add to the confusion, | | | | industries like Chemical Manufacturing. The real |
| Safety Engineering is often titled Health and Safety | | | | revolution in Safety Engineering happened when the |
| Engineering, by some institutions and industry | | | | US Military realized that 'Industrial Safety' is not |
| segments. Academically, the most distinguishing | | | | enough for complex mission-critical applications like |
| factor between the two allied fields is that while | | | | Aerospace, Space Shuttles, Nuclear Reactors, |
| Occupational Health and Safety might have Applied | | | | Submarines, and Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles |
| Science, Engineering, and Management components, | | | | (ICBM). The newly developed Systems Approach - as |
| Safety Engineering is purely an engineering branch. | | | | in Systems Engineering - was applied to Safety |
| What it Involves | | | | Engineering, to come up with what is today termed |
| Safety Distance Learning Masters involves taking a | | | | as System Safety, and is the main reason behind |
| Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Engineering | | | | Safety Engineering's prominence, today. |
| (M.E.) degree in Safety Engineering, or Health and | | | | In contrast with the earlier 'Industrial Safety' |
| Safety Engineering, or in Systems Engineering with | | | | methods, System Safety procedures ensure the |
| emphasis on Safety Engineering, from Universities or | | | | Safety Engineer's role in the design team from the |
| Colleges offering these courses through the online or | | | | preliminary design phase itself. No stage of the design |
| distant mode. Generally, Safety Distance Learning | | | | passes to the next stage without the Safety |
| Masters is attempted by working engineers with a | | | | Engineer's approval, and it is often half-jokingly told |
| Bachelor Degree in branches like Mechanical, | | | | that Safety Engineers say the last word in design! |
| Production, Industrial, Chemical, Electrical, or Civil, who | | | | Today, Safety Engineering's Systems Approach is |
| can put Safety Engineering to use in their domains. | | | | found not only in military or mission-critical |
| Due to the shorter history of the subject, the | | | | applications, but throughout the industry, and in |
| available courses in Safety Distance Learning Masters | | | | various civilian infrastructure projects like undersea |
| are somewhat limited in number, and it might be | | | | tunnels and earthquake resistant high-rises, thereby |
| necessary to also look at Systems Engineering | | | | fuelling the demand for Safety Engineers. |
| courses with main or partial emphasis on Safety | | | | Why Safety Distance Learning Masters? |
| Engineering, to find a suitable degree in this subject. | | | | Since the subject is less intensive on hands-on lab |
| Membership in the American Society of Safety | | | | work, and more intensive on engineering |
| Engineers (ASSE), and the Certified Safety | | | | mathematics, decision making structures, predictive |
| Professional (CSP) certification from the Board of | | | | models, and specialized Safety Engineering software |
| Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), can also be | | | | packages (like, CAFTA used for Nuclear Reactors, |
| attempted by working engineers opting for Safety | | | | and SAPHIRE used for Space Shuttles), Safety |
| Distance Learning Masters. | | | | Distance Learning Masters is very much deliverable |
| Why Safety Engineering? | | | | using current distance or online technologies. |
| The majority of Safety Engineers with a Master | | | | The fact that the majority of aspirants for Safety |
| Degree get an average salary of more than US | | | | Distance Learning Masters, are working engineers, |
| $63,000, which can go up to more than US $92,000 | | | | adds to its attraction as the preferred mode for this |
| depending upon on experience, expertise, and | | | | subject. |
| certifications like CSP. However, it is not financial | | | | What to Expect from Safety Distance Learning |
| prospects alone that are attracting more and more | | | | Masters, in the Future? |
| engineers to take up Safety Engineering - it has more | | | | |