Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Overall employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians is projected to grow 13 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 17,200 openings for occupational health and safety specialists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Education: Bachelor's degree Details

Education Details

74%

Bachelor's Degree

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

Master's Degree

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

Salary

High: $121,510.00

Average: $82,110.00

Hourly

Average: $39.47

Summary of What they do:

Review, evaluate, and analyze work environments and design programs and procedures to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. May conduct inspections and enforce adherence to laws and regulations governing the health and safety of individuals. May be employed in the public or private sector.

Responsibilities

Advise communities or institutions regarding health or safety issues.

Inspect work environments to ensure safety.

Design public or employee health programs.

Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.

Consult with others regarding safe or healthy equipment or facilities.

Conduct health or safety training programs.

Prepare healthcare training materials.

Test facilities for environmental hazards.

Develop emergency procedures.

Monitor the handling of hazardous materials or medical wastes.

Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment.

Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.

Investigate safety of work environment.

Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.

Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.

Write reports or evaluations.

Write operational reports.

What Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians Do

Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians collect data on, analyze, and design improvements to many types of work environments and procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces and enforce adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment. Technicians work with specialists to implement and evaluate programs aimed at mitigating risks to workers, property, the environment, and the public.

Duties

Occupational health and safety specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment.

Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians typically do the following:

Inspect, test, and evaluate workplace environments, programs, equipment, and practices to ensure that they follow government safety regulations
Design and implement workplace programs and procedures that control or prevent chemical, physical, or other risks to workers
Educate employers and workers about maintaining workplace safety
Demonstrate use of safety equipment and ensure proper use by workers
Investigate incidents to determine the cause and possible prevention
Prepare written reports of their findings

Occupational health and safety specialists examine worksites for environmental or physical factors that could harm employee health, safety, comfort, or performance. They then find ways to improve potential risk factors. For example, they may notice potentially hazardous conditions inside a chemical plant and suggest changes to lighting, equipment, materials, or ventilation.

Occupational health and safety technicians assist specialists by collecting data on work environments and implementing the worksite improvements that specialists plan. Technicians also may check to make sure that workers are using required protective gear, such as masks and hardhats.

Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians may develop and conduct employee training programs. These programs cover a range of topics, such as how to use safety equipment correctly and how to respond in an emergency.

In the event of a workplace safety incident, specialists and technicians investigate its cause. They then analyze data from the incident, such as the number of people impacted, and look for trends in occurrence. This evaluation helps them to recommend improvements to prevent future incidents.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians deliver safety trainings and instruction to employees and managers. They also write reports that effectively convey their findings.

Detail oriented. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be meticulous when checking work environments. They need to ensure that sites follow safety standards and government regulations.

Physical stamina. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and may have to squat or kneel. Some work in uncomfortable environments, such as tunnels or mines.

Problem-solving skills. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians determine proper design and implementation of workplace processes or procedures to help protect workers from hazardous conditions.

Technology skills. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians use a variety of digital tools and testing equipment, such as devices that measure air quality.

Tasks On The Job

Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards.
Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment.
Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis.
Collect samples of hazardous materials or arrange for sample collection.
Conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites or participate in hazardous waste site investigations.
Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.
Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances.
Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees.
Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations.
Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies.
Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future.
Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations.
Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
Maintain inventories of hazardous materials or hazardous wastes, using waste tracking systems to ensure that materials are handled properly.
Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures.
Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety.
Perform laboratory analyses or physical inspections of samples to detect disease or to assess purity or cleanliness.
Prepare hazardous, radioactive, or mixed waste samples for transportation or storage by treating, compacting, packaging, and labeling them.
Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations.
Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
Write reports.

PERSONALITY

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		CAREER CHARACTERISTICS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	91%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	85%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Your Assessment Results		IMPORTANT STRENGTHS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Your Assessment Results		WORK VALUES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

APTITUDES

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		ABILITIES \| SKILLS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	55%	Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Your Assessment Results		TASKS \| ACTIVITIES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	89%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	87%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	86%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	85%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	85%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	80%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.

Your Assessment Results		CONTEXT \| ATTRIBUTES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	96%	E-Mail - How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Telephone Conversations - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams - How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Health and Safety of Other Workers - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals - How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities - How important is it to coordinate or lead others (not as a supervisor or team leader) in accomplishing work activities in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Written Letters and Memos - How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Frequency of Decision Making - How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working in an environment that is not environmentally controlled (like a warehouse without air conditioning)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions - How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	58%	Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	57%	Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Deal With External Customers or the Public in General - How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment - How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	Conflict Situations - How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

Work Environment

Occupational health and safety technicians often work with complex equipment to test and evaluate workplace environments and equipment.

Occupational health and safety specialists held about 113,800 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of occupational health and safety specialists were as follows:

Government	20%
Manufacturing	17
Construction	14
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	7
Hospitals; state, local, and private	3

Occupational health and safety technicians held about 24,700 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of occupational health and safety technicians were as follows:

Manufacturing	24%
Construction	9
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	9
Government	9
Hospitals; state, local, and private	3

Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work in a variety of indoor or outdoor settings, such as offices and factories or construction sites. Their jobs may involve considerable travel and fieldwork.

The work of these specialists may be strenuous and involve a lot of standing, squatting, and lifting. It also may be stressful, such as in cases of emergency, falling debris, or other hazardous situations. To minimize the risk of illness or injury, they use gloves, helmets, respirators, and other personal protective and safety equipment.

Work Schedules

Most occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Technicians may be on call to work weekends or irregular schedules in emergencies.

Getting Started

How to Become an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist or Technician

Occupational health and safety technicians usually receive some training on the job.

Occupational health and safety specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety or a related field. Technicians typically need at least a high school diploma to enter the occupation, and they receive training on the job. Some pursue professional certification.

Education

Occupational health and safety specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety or a related field, such as biology or healthcare and related majors. For some positions, a master’s degree is required. In addition to science, coursework should include topics such as ergonomics, safety management, and industrial hygiene.

Occupational health and safety technicians typically need at least a high school diploma to enter the occupation. High school students interested in this occupation should take classes in chemistry, biology, and physics. Some technicians earn an associate’s degree or certificate from a community college or university. These programs typically take 2 years or less and include courses in hazardous materials, fire prevention, and safety regulations.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Employers may prefer or require occupational health and safety specialists and technicians to have professional certification. This certification is available through several organizations, such as the Board for Global EHS Credentialing, Board of Certified Safety Professions, and National Association of Safety Professionals.

Obtaining certification typically requires graduating from an accredited educational program, completing work experience, and passing an examination. Maintaining certification usually requires completing a specified number of hours of continuing education.

Training

Occupational health and safety technicians usually receive some on-the-job training. They may learn about specific laws and regulations, how to perform inspections, and how to conduct tests. The length of training varies with the employee’s level of experience, education, and industry in which he or she works.

Occupational health and safety specialists sometimes receive on-the-job training. However, training is less common for specialists than it is for technicians.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Some employers prefer to hire occupational health and safety specialists who have prior experience in the industry. Specialists may gain this experience by working in a related occupation, such as health and safety engineer.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about credentialing in industrial hygiene, visit

Board for Global EHS Credentialing (BGC)

For more information about occupations in safety, a list of safety and related academic programs, and credentialing, visit

Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)

National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP)

For more information about occupational health and safety, visit

U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

To find job openings for occupational health and safety positions in the federal government, visit

USAJOBS

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Construction and Building Inspectors	Construction and building inspectors ensure that construction meets building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications.	High school diploma or equivalent	$64,480
Environmental Scientists and Specialists	Environmental scientists and specialists use their knowledge of the natural sciences to protect the environment and human health.	Bachelor's degree	$76,480
Fire Inspectors	Fire inspectors detect fire hazards, recommend prevention measures, ensure compliance with state and local fire regulations, and investigate causes of fires.	See How to Become One	$65,800
Health and Safety Engineers	Health and safety engineers combine knowledge of engineering and of health and safety to develop procedures and design systems to protect people from illness and injury and property from damage.	Bachelor's degree	$100,660
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians	Environmental science and protection technicians monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution and contamination.	Associate's degree	$48,380