Health and safety has been named one of the best areas in which to work – in the United States.

America’s Money magazine recently ranked the country’s top 50 jobs, based on pay for experienced workers, growth prospects, and overall job satisfaction. ‘Environmental health and safety specialist’ came in at number 22 in the list, ‘risk-management manager’ at number 14, and ‘environmental engineer’ at number 5.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of SH&E practitioners is expected to increase by 9 per cent during the 2006-2016 decade, while the University of California San Diego Extension listed the SH&E profession among a “dozen hot careers for college graduates”. Salaries in the profession currently range from US$30,000 (£18,700) for safety inspectors to US$150,000 (£93,500) for highly-qualified individuals. The average salary for UK practitioners, according to IOSH’s most recent salary survey, is £37,705.

The American Society of Safety Engineers – the equivalent to IOSH for US-based practitioners – was delighted with the news. Said president Darryl C Hill: “As ASSE turns 100 years old in 2011 it is clear that the profession continues to grow and show meaningful results that lead to increasing quality of life for everyone. Safety is good business and, through developing and implementing effective workplace safety and health programmes at companies worldwide, ASSE members have proven through the past 99 years that they can and do make a difference. The difference is that more people than ever are going to work and leaving work injury and illness-free.”

Vice-president of the ASSE’s V region, Maribeth A Anderson, added: “Smart businesses today employ SH&E professionals and continue to update and implement effective work safety programmes company-wide. They know if they don’t do so they not only run the risk of having an employee hurt but can lose their competitive advantage in today’s worldwide seamless marketplace.”

Tying in with the Bureau of Labour Statistics’ prediction of growth in the profession, the ASSE, which currently has around 32,000 members, is also seeing an increase in membership and participation.

This reflects the situation in the UK where, according to IOSH, the occupational health and safety profession is also growing. Said the Institution’s director of professional affairs, Hazel Harvey: “IOSH forecasts suggest that, in the UK, the sector is set to grow by around 8 per cent per annum. Already we have seen IOSH grow by 50 per cent in the last decade, and with our current rate of expansion, a steady growth will continue.

“IOSH is now the world’s largest health and safety organisation, representing 38,000 health and safety professionals worldwide. With this current rate of growth, we would estimate our membership to rise to nearly 50,000 in the next five years alone.”

Asked what the likelihood would be of health and safety ever appearing in a ‘top 50 jobs’ list in the UK, where the profession is generally viewed negatively, Harvey said: “It is fabulous to see the health and safety profession being so highly rated overseas. In the UK, I think certain sections of the media have ‘stereotyped’ it. Consultants are often visualised as middle-aged men with a clipboard, which is completely wrong. In fact, the health and safety profession is innovative and exciting, and both men and women, from different backgrounds, work within it.”

She concluded: “In the UK’s health and safety industry, IOSH members have a good reputation. To date, when looking for health and safety advice, most employers look for professionals who are qualified IOSH members, because to hold a recognised IOSH membership category demonstrates their credibility.”

Chris Rowlands, divisional manager at The HSE Recruitment Network, said the fact that ‘environmental engineer’ ranked so highly in the American top 50 came as no surprise. He explained: “We have seen more and more of this type of role in the last 18 months. It is increasingly being recruited as a specialism, rather than as part of HS 'and E'. I think this is because, as with health and safety about four or five years ago, when people really began to realise its impact on the bottom line, this is also now happening with environmental issues. Companies are now realising they need genuine specialists.”

On the profession’s negative reputation in the UK, Rowlands added: “Health and safety people are still seen as box-tickers, which is a shame, as the practitioners we speak to couldn’t be more different.”