Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians

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 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.

Occupational health and safety specialists held about 131,900 jobs in 2024. The largest employers of occupational health and safety specialists were as follows:

Occupational health and safety technicians held about 31,900 jobs in 2024. The largest employers of occupational health and safety technicians were as follows:

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.

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

The median annual wage for occupational health and safety specialists was $83,910 in May 2024.

The median annual wage for occupational health and safety technicians was $58,440 in May 2024.

Overall employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians is projected to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 18,300 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.