Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

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.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Social Perceptiveness
Complex Problem Solving
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

English Language
Chemistry
Education and Training
Mathematics
Customer and Personal Service
Engineering and Technology
Biology
Law and Government

What the work involves

Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety.
Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future.
Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
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.
Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Conventional, Realistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (73.9% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (30.4%)
On-the-job training: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (21.7%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 60% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	Low	Lower on dealing with the public than 62% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Lower on teamwork than 58% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 59% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 72% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 64% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 54% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 66% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: low
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions