Occupational Health and Safety

Turn your concern for safety into a rewarding career by developing and maintaining healthy and safe work environments. Opportunities in the occupational health and safety (OH&S) field are growing. If you see yourself doing any of the following, you may be well-suited to a career in OH&S:

• Practical hands-on problem solving, like working with and educating people

• Managing, collecting and interpreting data to identify trends and issues in the workplace

• Promoting legislation, standards and best practices in OH&S

Throughout the program, you focus on what people do, analyze why they do it, and then apply a research-supported intervention strategy to improve working conditions. As a graduate, you're well prepared to contribute to, and lead, the development and maintenance of a healthy and safe workplace.

Work Experience

• Field experience is a mandatory credit course, providing you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills outside of the classroom.

  • Opportunities are typically unpaid and last approximately 5 weeks.

• This program is eligible for an optional cooperative education (co-op) credit course between years one and two.

  • A co-op provides an opportunity for paid, full-time employment in a field related to your program.

  • Co-op takes place in the third term and must be a minimum of 12 weeks and 420 hours.

  • Our co-op program follows Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) guidelines.

• Transportation, accommodations, and other costs related to work experience are your responsibility.

Choose NSCC

• To meet the needs of employers, this program was developed in partnership with the Workers' Compensation Board's Community Initiatives and Research Program.

• This program places a high value on providing you with the skills and knowledge to work safely in industry. To prepare for employment, you participate in safety awareness courses.

Other Info

• Many employers in this industry require a current, official criminal record check as part of the hiring process. A conviction on your criminal record may impact your ability to secure employment.

• To be successful in this program, basic proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and excellent oral and written communication, research, and collaboration skills are recommended.

• OH&S practitioners work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

• Industrial safety standards require that you have adequate vision and colour perception to operate safely while performing the tasks in the shop and in the field.

• The demand for entry-level practitioners in the OH&S field is growing.