Science · Career brief

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$90,150

High national median pay

2025 national median. Top quarter for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

18.5%

Very fast projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top 10% for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

17,100

Lots of annual openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is typically expected

Bachelor's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.

5The work

Analytical

Problem-solving and analysis dominate the profile

Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

ChooseField take

The strongest national signals are pay, growth, and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if analytical work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a bachelor's-degree path. Main tradeoff: Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

Before choosing, compare:Food Scientists and Technologists Microbiologists Conservation Scientists

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Occupational Health and Safety Specialists with another field Explore rankings in Science Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$90,150

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

18.5%employment growth17,100openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Bachelor's degree

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

143,100

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Occupational health and safety specialists (19-5011).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

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.
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.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Getting Information4.6
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.5
Documenting/Recording Information4.4
Analyzing Data or Information4.4
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.4

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Investigative5.0
Conventional4.7
Realistic4.5
Social3.5
Enterprising3.2
Artistic1.3

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Chemistry Mathematics Engineering and Technology Biology

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Run a small investigation with a written hypothesis, observations or public data, and a conclusion that states what the evidence cannot prove.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Occupational health and safety specialists nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

BLS does not assign a related-experience requirement to the occupation. Employers may still ask for placements, supervised practice, a portfolio, or experience with particular tools. Check entry-level vacancies separately from experienced roles.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Food Scientists and Technologists, Microbiologists, Conservation Scientists, Animal Scientists.