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Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

ManufacturingO*NET 19-5011.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$89,992

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+15.5%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Bachelor's degree

82.6% of the workforce

Employment
141.68K jobs

Growing to 163.7K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What occupational health and safety specialists do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
  • Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety.
  • Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
  • Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future.
  • Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations.
  • 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.
  • Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
  • Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.
  • Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations.
  • Write reports.
  • Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations.
  • Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies.
  • Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards.
  • Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances.
  • Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures.
  • Conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites or participate in hazardous waste site investigations.
  • Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees.
  • Collect samples of hazardous materials or arrange for sample collection.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$54,774
25th percentile
$69,396
50th percentile
$89,992
75th percentile
$111,931
90th percentile
$135,698

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $89,992 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+15.5%much faster than average
2025141,678 jobs
2035 projected163,701 jobs

22,023 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree
82.6%
Master's or Professional degree
8.7%
Certificate
4.4%
Associate degree
4.4%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Auditing
  • Environment Health And Safety
  • Occupational Safety And Health
  • Safety Training
  • Continuous Improvement Process
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Risk Analysis
  • Safety Culture
  • Construction
  • Project Management
  • Risk Management
  • Safety Standards
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Safety Audits
  • Subcontracting
  • Occupational Hygiene
  • Influencing Without Authority
  • Emergency Response
  • Job Safety Analysis

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
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.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Safety Managers5,645 postings
  2. 02Environmental Health and Safety Managers5,287 postings
  3. 03Safety Specialists2,843 postings
  4. 04Construction Safety Managers1,175 postings
  5. 05Health and Safety Managers1,140 postings
  6. 06Directors of Environmental Health and Safety1,117 postings
  7. 07Safety Supervisors1,010 postings
  8. 08Directors of Safety890 postings
  9. 09Site Safety Managers760 postings
  10. 10Safety Project Managers636 postings
  11. 11Safety Professionals634 postings
  12. 12Environmental Health Specialists628 postings
  13. 13Regional Safety Managers615 postings
  14. 14Food Safety Quality Assurance Technicians513 postings
  15. 15HSE Managers468 postings
  16. 16Environmental Health and Safety Specialists461 postings
  17. 17Safety Engineers406 postings
  18. 18Safety and Compliance Managers406 postings
  19. 19Safety Program Managers373 postings
  20. 20Site Safety and Health Officers373 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Actalent567 postings
  2. 02Amazon469 postings
  3. 03GPAC451 postings
  4. 04UniFirst327 postings
  5. 05United States Department of Transportation277 postings
  6. 06Haztek Corporation274 postings
  7. 07Turner Construction Company272 postings
  8. 08CBRE239 postings
  9. 09B&B Concrete237 postings
  10. 10Kiewit Corporation229 postings
  11. 11GAF Materials Corporation202 postings
  12. 12Insight Global177 postings
  13. 13Amentum175 postings
  14. 14Team Linx175 postings
  15. 15Google163 postings
  16. 16MasTec156 postings
  17. 17General Motors149 postings
  18. 18Jacobs Solutions147 postings
  19. 19Allied Universal142 postings
  20. 20Transdev140 postings

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