Keeping employees alive and well

Industrial engineers can move seamlessly and effectively into the world of occupational safety and health

By Farman A. Moayed

Industrial engineers have shown that they can be effective in their positions and contribute significantly to their companies. But their roles have expanded over the years, and IEs have been involved in fields ranging from production floors to hospital operating rooms. Still, their goal was simple: Improve quality and make systems more efficient and reliable; then savings will follow automatically. Safety engineering, or occupational safety and health engineering to be exact, is a field that has not been introduced fully to IEs. But as it happens, this field needs IEs more than ever.