High-risk industries like construction aren’t the only workplaces that need safety pros. Accidents can happen anywhere, even if they aren’t life-threatening catastrophes. Nearly every industry out there can benefit from a good Safety Manager.
In the United States, every organization – from grocery stores to tech companies – is subject to health and safety standards set up by OSHA. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, private industry employers reported 2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023. Of those, about 6.7% were reported by construction companies.
Don’t get us wrong – construction, mining, or oil and gas need good safety pros who can help drive down serious, fatal incident rates. But if these industries aren’t quite your thing, there are countless alternative careers for safety managers.
In this article, we’ll dive into just a few industries that benefit from experienced safety managers and why they need them.
Why Safety Managers Are in High Demand Across Industries
Construction sites are often seen as the epicenter of workplace hazards. However, the truth is that every industry faces unique safety challenges. If you’re in industries from healthcare and hospitality to aerospace and education, you understand the constant navigation of an evolving landscape of regulations, risk factors, and employee health concerns.
The rise in workplace injuries, mental health issues, and infectious disease protocols has pushed safety to the forefront of nearly every organization’s priorities. Because OSHA standards apply across the board, companies are investing more in professionals who can keep people safe while also reducing liability, improving compliance, and supporting organizational resilience. That’s where seasoned safety managers step in.
Occupational Safety: Expanding the Definition
Because the term “occupational safety” covers every workplace, occupational safety professionals play a key role in preventing incidents and promoting a safe work environment. Whether you’re dealing with office ergonomics, chemical exposure in a lab, or food safety in a kitchen, these professionals should be a key part of your company.
If you’re considering a pivot, look into companies with growing EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) programs, like logistics firms, food production companies, or tech warehouses. These roles often carry titles like “Occupational Safety Officer” or “Safety & Compliance Coordinator,” and they value the kind of regulatory knowledge and risk assessment skills safety managers bring.
What Skills Transfer from Construction to Other Industries?
If you’ve worked in construction safety, chances are you already have a strong foundation that can carry over into many other fields. That’s because the core principles of workplace safety don’t change; they just adapt to new environments. Key transferable skills include:
- Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment – Recognizing physical, chemical, or biological risks in any setting.
- OSHA Compliance and Regulatory Knowledge – Understanding how to apply federal safety standards in various contexts.
- Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning – Designing procedures for fires, natural disasters, medical emergencies, and more.
- Training and Communication – Leading toolbox talks or safety briefings translates well to classrooms, hospitals, or corporate settings.
- Incident Investigation and Reporting – Knowing how to document and learn from workplace incidents applies in every industry.
If you can navigate the high-risk world of construction, you already have the instincts and problem-solving skills to succeed elsewhere.
Workplace Safety: Why It’s Everyone’s Job
Creating a safe workplace is a team effort, but safety managers lead the charge. As more companies invest in safety culture, they’re looking for professionals who can go beyond checklists and help change behavior. That means teaching, coaching, and influencing.
This is where your people skills matter. Can you talk to execs and front-line workers with equal confidence? Can you lead safety committees or deliver memorable training sessions? If so, you can carve out a niche as a workplace safety leader in almost any industry, including retail, hospitality, government, and tech.
How to Choose the Right Industry for Your Safety Career
Not sure where to go next? Choosing your next move as a safety professional should be about more than just job availability. It’s about aligning with your values, lifestyle, and long-term goals. Here’s a quick framework to help guide your decision:
- Passion & Interests: Are you drawn to helping others (healthcare)? Love technology and logistics (aerospace)? Enjoy creative environments (entertainment)?
- Risk Tolerance: Some industries, like law enforcement or public safety, still carry high risk. Others, like education or consulting, are lower-risk and may offer more predictable schedules.
- Work Environment: Do you want to be in the field, in an office, or a mix of both? Hospitals, manufacturing plants, and film sets all offer different settings.
- Flexibility vs. Structure: Independent consulting offers autonomy. Government or corporate roles offer stability and clear routines.
- Location & Lifestyle: Some roles may require travel or relocation. Others offer remote flexibility or strong local opportunities.
Once you understand your own goals, it’s easier to match them with the right industry and thrive as a safety professional in a whole new way.
Occupational Health: The Human Side of Safety
Workplace safety is about much more than avoiding accidents. It’s about protecting the physical and mental health of employees over the long haul. That’s where occupational health professionals come in. If you’ve worked in construction safety, you already know how heat exposure, repetitive strain, noise, and stress can take a toll on workers. Those same concerns show up in office buildings, warehouses, and factories.
A career in occupational health could mean working alongside HR teams to build wellness programs, partnering with healthcare providers on return-to-work strategies, or advising companies on mental health and ergonomics. It’s a natural fit for anyone passionate about the human side of safety.
Industrial Hygiene: The Science Behind Safety
Industrial hygiene is all about identifying and controlling environmental hazards that could cause long-term health problems. If you’ve ever handled silica dust, asbestos, or solvent fumes, you’ve already done part of the job.
This career path focuses on exposure limits, air sampling, noise monitoring, and ventilation systems. You’ll work closely with engineers and health departments to assess and mitigate risks. It’s a more technical path, often requiring additional training or certification, like the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), but it’s also one of the most respected and flexible safety careers out there.
With skills in industrial hygiene, you can work in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, higher education, or even government research. It’s a powerful way to level up your safety career while making a measurable impact on public health.
Hospitals and Clinics
Health, safety, and environmental considerations are just as critical in healthcare as in any other industry. While hospitals may not feature the same obvious physical hazards found on construction sites, like fall risks or heavy machinery, there are still numerous dangers present that a safety manager can assist with. Airborne pathogens, chemical exposures, and other health-related risks pose daily threats to both staff and patients.
Your team should develop a comprehensive safety plan, provide regular staff training, and keep up with current safety regulations in a healthcare environment. If you’re experienced in managing safety on a construction site, many of those skills will translate well to a hospital setting. Key focus areas in healthcare safety include proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), safe waste disposal practices, infection control, and emergency preparedness, especially in the event of fires.
Law Enforcement
Police officers and other law enforcement professionals put their lives on the line every day. Just like in construction, safety pros can help them make sure they get home every night. Law enforcement (another high-risk industry if there ever was one) can benefit from a traditional approach to safety, with an emphasis on preventing violence and helping with mental health and wellness.
Being a police officer is hard and can be physically and mentally taxing. As a law enforcement safety specialist, you’ll handle emergency planning and establish safety protocols. This can include making sure officers have the correct protective gear – body armor, respirators, and HAZMAT suits – and providing mental health resources when the pressure is too high.
If you decide to make a full career switch, the structure and discipline learned from safety can also benefit you as a probation officer. Plenty of safety pros come from a military or law enforcement background, and skills learned in one profession could seriously benefit you in another.
Public Safety
Public Safety acts as a catch-all for a few different disciplines, including law enforcement, firefighting, medical services, and emergency management. If you like the idea of variety and serving your community, public safety might be a good fit for you.
Working in public safety is a bit like managing resources. You’ll establish an enforce a safety plan for the community you work in, and define how those resources are dispatched. This can include protocols for responding to an emergency, like fires or traffic accidents. Depending on your focus, you could also be involved in keeping forest fire fighters and airports safe.
If you’re interested in dipping your toes into public safety, consider looking up your community’s local safety committee to get started.
Aerospace Safety
Airplanes are statistically safer than most other vehicles, but that doesn’t mean they’re risk or hazard-free. Aerospace safety managers are responsible for developing and managing safety programs and response plans for planes, crews, and airlines.
There’s a lot of crossover here with construction safety management, but the industry generally faces different hazards like collisions and decompression. You’ll also need to be on top of Federal Aviation Administration standards and regulations, on top of OSHA bylaws.
Need a good starting point? Check out certification programs or college courses that will teach you everything you need to know.
Industrial Hygiene
Industrial Hygienists fall under a specific branch of safety management — Occupational Health. Rather than looking at all hazards in general, these safety pros focus on chemical, physical, ergonomic, or biological dangers. If something causes a lasting condition to the human body, an industrial hygienist should care about it.
Ultimately, working as an industrial hygienist means you have more flexibility with the industries you work in. Waste disposal, manufacturing, healthcare, construction, and government all benefit from employing industrial hygienists. You could even strike out on your own as a consultant and make every day different.
Training and Consultancy
Looking for more variety and control over your day to day? Try becoming a safety consultant! Plenty of big businesses are willing to pay a specialist to come in, audit their safety program, and help train employees to reduce risk.
Starting your own business might come with its own sink-or-swim risks, but the rewards can be greater. Consulting pays on average $69,000 to $119,500 a year, depending on how many jobs you take on. You can also be your own boss and set your schedule.
If you’re struggling to improve your company safety culture or tired of a normal 9-5, look into starting your own consulting business! It may benefit you in the long run.
Secondary Education
A wise man once said, “Those who can’t do, teach.”
Just kidding! Some of the best safety instructors at world-class universities got their start actually doing the job for years. Who would’ve thought? Teaching college courses or certification classes can be a great natural step in a safety manager’s career, whether they’re getting older or just want a change of pace.
That real-world experience can be invaluable for the next generation of safety pros – who better to teach about the ins and outs of safety and OSHA practices than the people who have been in the trenches? Like consultancies, secondary education provides a valuable opportunity to pass on knowledge without tying themselves to one company or industry.
Entertainment & Recreation
This is the fun one — did you know casinos, zoos, theme parks and film studios all employ safety managers? While people may not be doing hard labor, these businesses all have various hazards to worry about, including large rides, wild animals, patrons, film crews and stunt workers (go check out a Mission Impossible movie if you don’t believe us.).
These positions include standard safety training and hazard prevention, but can also be more specialized based on the environment. Any establishments with frequent human contact require procedures to prevent illnesses from spreading. If a fight breaks out, employees need to know how to stop it safely. If a film set is using vehicles, cranes, and pyrotechnics, it’ll be your job to help keep stunts from going awry.
There’s a ton of variety here, and the sky is the limit when it comes to the entertainment industry. If you have a passion for something fun, dive in and start investigating opportunities!
Taking the Leap into Alternative Careers for Safety Managers
Construction may be where you started, but it doesn’t have to be where you stay. As workplace safety continues to grow in importance across industries, experienced safety professionals have more options than ever before. Whether you’re drawn to the fast-paced world of aerospace, the structure of public safety, or the excitement of entertainment and recreation, there’s a niche that fits your skills and interests.
With the right training and mindset, your next career move can be just as impactful, if not more so, than your last.
Ready to explore what’s next? Let Safety Mojo help you take that next step with confidence. Get a free demo today to see how Safety Mojo can level up any safety pro with simple AI-powered tools.
