An environmental health and safety (EHS) manager is responsible for the prevention and elimination of injuries and illnesses to employees and to assist organizations in following proper safety laws. Job responsibilities of an EHS manager include inspecting and evaluating the workplace based on health and safety laws, identifying potentially hazardous materials, identifying potentially hazardous areas of the workplace, recommending changes in procedure or the workplace environment to better protect the employees, analyzing samples collected at the investigated workplace, investigating work place accidents to determine ways to avoid them, and communicating with employees and employers to help with the improvement process.
A bachelor's degree in occupational health, safety or a related field is required to be an EHS manager. Helpful job skills include strong communication skills (both written and verbal), good organizational skills, ability to work both in a team and as individual without supervision, knowledge of industry, attention to detail, good critical thinking skills and strong decision-making skills. The future job market outlook for an EHS manager is strong and increasing.
