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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $83,910 in the US and is projected to grow 12% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.44 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £46,444 a year for Health and safety managers and officers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £37,925 to £57,141 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3582). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Occupational health and safety specialists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Chemistry
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
- Biology
- Law and Government
A day in the life
You start the morning at a manufacturing plant, walking the floor with the site manager to inspect machines, ventilation and working practices. You take air samples near a painting booth to check for harmful vapours and notice that the extraction fan is not working properly. Mid-morning you investigate a minor accident from last week, interviewing the worker and supervisor to understand what went wrong and how to prevent it. After lunch you meet the engineers to agree on changes to the ventilation system and recommend safer ways of handling chemicals. In one area you order work to stop until a missing guard is refitted, which does not make you popular. Later you write up your inspection findings and update the site's noise and hygiene monitoring plan. The paperwork is constant, but knowing your decisions protect people from harm makes the job deeply rewarding.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
- Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
- Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety.
- 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.
- Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Occupational health and safety specialists 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.
What does a typical day look like in Occupational health and safety specialists?
You start the morning at a manufacturing plant, walking the floor with the site manager to inspect machines, ventilation and working practices. You take air samples near a painting booth to check for harmful vapours and notice that the extraction fan is not working properly. Mid-morning you investigate a minor accident from last week, interviewing the worker and supervisor to understand what went wrong and how to prevent it.
How much does Occupational health and safety specialists earn?
The median annual salary for Occupational health and safety specialists in the US is $83,910.
What is the job outlook for Occupational health and safety specialists?
The role is projected to grow 12% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 131,900 workers.
How do I become occupational health and safety specialists?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Occupational health and safety specialists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Occupational health and safety specialists?
Our AI-durability model gives Occupational health and safety specialists a score of 0.44 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Occupational health and safety specialists has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.