Research Safety Officer
What this job does:
Ensures that laboratories and research facilities operate safely and comply with all applicable regulations. Day-to-day, conducts lab inspections, trains researchers on proper handling of hazardous materials, investigates incidents, maintains safety documentation, and serves as the bridge between research teams and regulatory agencies. Works to prevent accidents by developing protocols and assessing risks for new experiments.
This job is similar to these lab/research tasks:
Handling hazardous materials at the bench, writing SOPs, maintaining chemical inventories, managing waste disposal, training new lab members on safety procedures, navigating IBC or IACUC protocols
Typical starting salary range
$70k to $115k
Salary estimate represented as 25th to 75th percentile. Gathered from recent job postings, Glassdoor.com, and Salary.com
Daily task breakdown
- Lab inspections and compliance monitoring (30%)
- Safety training and education: developing and delivering programs (20%)
- Documentation and recordkeeping: SDS, training logs, regulatory filings (20%)
- Risk assessment and protocol development (15%)
- Incident response and investigation: corrective actions, emergency planning (15%)
Skills you'll use in this job:
Regulatory compliance expertise (OSHA, EPA, NRC, NIH guidelines); risk assessment and hazard analysis; laboratory inspection and auditing; safety training design and delivery; incident investigation and root cause analysis; chemical/biological/radiation safety knowledge; emergency response planning; scientific writing and documentation; communication and presentation skills; attention to detail
Talk about these PhD skills in your resume and interview:
Talk about your firsthand experience handling hazardous materials - chemicals, biologicals, radioactive isotopes - and your familiarity with PPE and safety equipment from the bench. Highlight any role as a departmental safety representative, experience writing SOPs, maintaining chemical inventories, managing waste disposal, training new lab members on safety procedures, or navigating IBC or IACUC protocols. Your insider perspective on how research actually gets done makes you a more credible and effective safety officer.
Alternative job titles to search:
Laboratory Safety Officer; Laboratory Safety Manager; Biosafety Officer; Radiation Safety Officer; Research Safety Specialist; Chemical Safety Officer; Environmental Health & Safety Specialist (Research); Lab Safety Coordinator; Research Environment and Safety Specialist
*Note:
-Job titles are inconsistent between companies. Try various keywords.
-PhDs tend to undershoot seniority level. Target higher than you think.
