Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 19-5012.00United States
Collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Implement and conduct evaluation of programs designed to limit chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic risks to workers.
- Median annual earnings
- $61,439
- Projected change
- +12.7%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 29.27K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
52.4% of the workforce
Growing to 32.98K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What occupational health and safety technicians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.
- Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment.
- Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques.
- Maintain all required environmental records and documentation.
- Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise.
- Train workers in safety procedures related to green jobs, such as the use of fall protection devices or maintenance of proper ventilation during wind turbine construction.
- Inspect fire suppression systems or portable fire systems to ensure proper working order.
- Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators.
- Recommend corrective measures to be applied based on results of environmental contaminant analyses.
- Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples.
- Prepare or review specifications or orders for the purchase of safety equipment, ensuring that proper features are present and that items conform to health and safety standards.
- Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related.
- Plan emergency response drills.
- Examine credentials, licenses, or permits to ensure compliance with licensing requirements.
- Review records or reports concerning laboratory results, staffing, floor plans, fire inspections, or sanitation to gather information for the development or enforcement of safety activities.
- Educate the public about health issues or enforce health legislation to prevent disease, to promote health, or to help people understand health protection procedures and regulations.
- Prepare documents to be used in legal proceedings, testifying in such proceedings when necessary.
- Collect data regarding potential hazards from new equipment or products linked to green practices.
- Maintain logbooks of daily activities, including areas visited or activities performed.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $46,062
- 25th percentile
- $52,315
- 50th percentile
- $61,439
- 75th percentile
- $79,052
- 90th percentile
- $100,744
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $61,439 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+12.7%faster than average
202529,268 jobs
2035 projected32,983 jobs
3,715 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
- 52.4%
- Associate degree
- 19%
- High school diploma or less
- 9.5%
- Some college
- 9.5%
- Certificate
- 4.8%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4.8%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- 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.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- 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.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Environmental Health and Safety Specialists4,425 postings
- 02Safety Coordinators3,922 postings
- 03Environmental Health and Safety Coordinators1,723 postings
- 04Industrial Hygienists1,144 postings
- 05Health and Safety Specialists1,031 postings
- 06Site Safety and Health Officers736 postings
- 07Food Safety Specialists720 postings
- 08Safety Technicians698 postings
- 09Safety Specialists651 postings
- 10Scanning Specialists619 postings
- 11Sanitation Managers611 postings
- 12Environmental Health and Safety Managers608 postings
- 13Environmental Health and Safety Technicians588 postings
- 14HSE Specialists536 postings
- 15Store Scanning Specialists470 postings
- 16Sanitation Specialists459 postings
- 17Cleaning Specialists452 postings
- 18Transportation Specialists452 postings
- 19Safety Trainers361 postings
- 20Occupational Health and Safety Specialists360 postings
Top employers
- 01Amazon837 postings
- 02RetailData702 postings
- 03H-E-B694 postings
- 04EMIT Learning418 postings
- 05GPAC410 postings
- 06Rdsolutions Systems382 postings
- 07GE Aerospace369 postings
- 08Actalent340 postings
- 09Rentokil Initial287 postings
- 10Johnson Controls266 postings
- 11Summit Fire And Security197 postings
- 12Steritech195 postings
- 13On-Site Health & Safety176 postings
- 14Michels Corporation158 postings
- 15Insight Global152 postings
- 16ManpowerGroup152 postings
- 17Core-Mark International147 postings
- 18Aerotek140 postings
- 19Siemens120 postings
- 20Summit Fire Protection114 postings
Keep looking