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Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

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.

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $90,150 Median per year · $43.34/hr Most earn $55,000–$134,950

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
  • Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.
  • Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety.
  • Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
  • Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations.
  • Write reports.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
19% more jobs by 2035, much faster than average · about 17,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals6.9%
  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services5.8%
  • Federal government, excluding postal service5.5%
  • Nonresidential building construction5.0%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals4.9%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Occupational Health and Safety Specialist is usually not an entry-level job. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend roughly 2 to 4 years in a related role before taking this job. Your path can start with the classes and activities you choose now.

  1. Bachelor's degree in occupational health and safety, environmental science, or a related science

    4 years

    You build the science and workplace knowledge (chemistry, biology, regulations, statistics) needed to spot and control hazards on the job.

  2. Occupational Health and Safety Technician

    2-4 years

    You collect workplace data, run inspections and sampling, and help carry out safety programs under a specialist's guidance, which builds the hands-on experience employers expect.

  3. Occupational Health and Safety Specialist

    Career goal

    You review work sites, design safety programs and procedures, and make sure the workplace follows health and safety laws.

Where it can lead

  1. Safety Manager

    5+ years in a specialist role of experience first

    You lead a safety team or a whole site's safety program, set budgets and goals, and report to senior leaders. Strong leadership and communication skills matter as much as technical know-how.

  2. Health and Safety Engineer

    Varies of experience first

    You shift toward designing equipment, processes, and workplaces to remove hazards at the source. This usually requires an engineering degree or additional engineering training.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take chemistry, biology, and mathThese subjects give you the foundation for understanding workplace hazards like chemicals, germs, and physical stress on the body.
  • Get first aid and CPR trainingMany schools, fire departments, and community groups offer these courses, and they show early hands-on safety skills.
  • Join a science, robotics, or engineering clubWorking in a team on projects teaches you to test ideas, follow safety rules in a lab or shop, and explain your results clearly.
  • Pick up a part-time jobWorking at a store, restaurant, or warehouse lets you see how workplace safety rules are used day to day, and it builds work experience.
  • Volunteer with a health or community groupHelping at a clinic, food bank, or local safety campaign shows you how health and safety work affects real people.

In college

  • Major in occupational health and safety or a related scienceA major in occupational health and safety, environmental science, or a similar field covers the hazard-control knowledge this career needs.
  • Take statistics, chemistry, and a workplace law or regulations courseThese classes help you measure exposure risks, understand chemical hazards, and apply the rules that safety specialists enforce.
  • Work as a lab assistant or on a campus safety committeeHelping keep a lab or campus safe gives you real experience with inspections, safety procedures, and reporting problems.
  • Complete a basic workplace safety courseA general industry safety course, such as a short OSHA-style training, adds a credential you can list on job applications.
  • Apply for a summer internship in a safety or environmental health departmentCompanies, hospitals, and government agencies often hire interns, and this experience is what employers look for when you graduate.

Tips for getting started

  • Look at real job postings for safety technicians and specialists in your area and note which certifications and skills they ask for, then plan your classes around them.
  • Get comfortable with data: good grades in statistics, math, and science will help you analyze hazards and write clear reports.
  • Talk with a safety professional at a local employer, hospital, or factory. Ask what their workday looks like and what they wish they had studied.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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