Mine Safety Manager Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

Mine safety managers are counted by BLS in the broad Occupational Health and Safety Specialists code (SOC 19-5011), where the OEWS May 2025 median is $90,150 a year, about $43.34 an hour, from $55,000 at the 10th percentile to $134,950 at the 90th. Because mining is a higher-hazard setting, experienced mine safety managers sit toward the upper part of that range, with senior and director roles near the top.

You build experience in mining or occupational safety, complete MSHA Part 46/48 training and ideally become an approved MSHA instructor. Many managers hold a degree in occupational safety, mining or a related field and add a certification such as the BCSP Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Mine Safety Professional (CMSP) or CHST. From there you move into a site safety-manager role and can advance to senior safety manager or corporate director of health and safety.

You set your career intent, target role, location, salary, credentials, and timeline, in 3 minutes. Our recruiters benchmark your pay against BLS data and live employer requirements, then bring matching permanent job opportunities directly to you. No applications. No job boards. We verify your credentials so employers see a complete, credible profile. After placement, we pay your licence renewal fees. Permanent, full-time, direct-hire only.

A mine safety manager runs the health-and-safety program at a mine or quarry. That means enforcing MSHA rules, inspecting the workings, checking ventilation, ground control and gas levels, investigating incidents and near-misses, delivering required miner training, maintaining safety records, and preparing for MSHA inspections. Above all they lead the site's safety culture and drive corrective actions so workers stay safe and the operation stays compliant with federal mine-safety law.

Not always required, but commonly held. MSHA training and, ideally, approved-instructor status are essential to the role. Many mine safety managers also earn a professional certification such as the CSP, Certified Mine Safety Professional (CMSP) or CHST to demonstrate competence, and a degree in occupational safety or mining is common. The broad BLS code the role maps to does not mandate a specific degree, so experience and credentials carry significant weight.

Yes. BLS projects the Occupational Health and Safety Specialists code to change about +12.5% over 2024–2034, faster than average, with roughly 14,900 openings a year across all industries. Within mining, MSHA enforcement and the high-hazard nature of the work sustain steady demand for dedicated safety leadership, and openings also come from turnover and retirements in senior health-and-safety roles.

For safety professionals in mining, yes: it pays a $90,150 median with up to $134,950 for directors, offers strong projected growth, and does meaningful work preventing injuries. It carries real responsibility for compliance and worker safety, often at remote sites with demanding conditions and full accountability during MSHA inspections and incident investigations, but the combination of pay, growth and purpose makes it a strong career in the mining sector.