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Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Also called: Industrial Hygiene Consultant, Industrial Hygienist, Safety Consultant, Safety Specialist

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.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$90,150
Openings a year BLS, 2025–3517,100
Typical education to start BLSBachelor's degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 High
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +18.5%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 21 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 18.5% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 2.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 19% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 78% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$73k$112knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$82,260$63,040 to $102,4202,510
Alaska$99,270$81,470 to $125,590370
Arizona$89,480$73,700 to $103,6303,220
Arkansas$73,130$57,350 to $95,900850
California$102,840$77,080 to $129,49016,230
Colorado$101,400$81,110 to $127,2103,080
Connecticut$96,110$79,350 to $117,9301,090
Delaware$81,120$65,940 to $116,190600
District of Columbia$111,530$97,190 to $132,620280
Florida$88,820$64,650 to $109,9406,760
Georgia$85,450$63,840 to $109,8103,220
Guam$68,030$48,470 to $91,560100
Hawaii$94,840$75,680 to $108,400640
Idaho$86,920$71,770 to $107,800730
Illinois$98,270$79,190 to $117,0102,900
Indiana$83,470$65,380 to $105,5103,870
Iowa$87,830$71,170 to $103,5401,310
Kansas$86,300$68,400 to $113,2101,350
Kentucky$83,730$68,150 to $106,4202,480
Louisiana$89,560$73,700 to $107,2902,380
Maine$97,640$74,150 to $107,590600
Maryland$91,820$65,180 to $121,3302,160
Massachusetts$103,970$83,260 to $127,3203,390
Michigan$84,080$65,920 to $103,9903,350
Minnesota$96,990$79,220 to $112,7302,460
Mississippi$84,490$61,600 to $105,5001,140
Missouri$83,090$63,980 to $104,6702,660
Montana$81,330$64,030 to $100,420720
Nebraska$83,990$63,340 to $100,900630
Nevada$94,360$75,170 to $109,2201,150
New Hampshire$101,260$74,990 to $127,250610
New Jersey$90,610$70,760 to $110,9903,830
New Mexico$84,510$65,920 to $104,500840
New York$95,720$69,840 to $122,3806,840
North Carolina$86,650$73,720 to $105,9904,670
North Dakota$93,250$73,200 to $119,700540
Ohio$91,460$72,300 to $111,2306,820
Oklahoma$79,890$60,990 to $100,2601,690
Oregon$95,240$74,150 to $112,1801,820
Pennsylvania$87,050$72,480 to $107,3904,890
Puerto Rico$45,630$38,620 to $61,7801,430
Rhode Island$101,740$82,800 to $120,430200
South Carolina$88,080$72,090 to $111,0602,170
South Dakota$88,610$73,320 to $100,420250
Tennessee$81,190$59,990 to $99,0602,690
Texas$79,660$61,500 to $102,95017,920
Utah$90,200$69,990 to $108,7701,230
Vermont$87,210$74,470 to $109,700170
Virginia$90,800$70,640 to $113,9203,910
Washington$102,920$86,110 to $127,0503,570
West Virginia$86,560$58,150 to $109,3001,020
Wisconsin$84,750$70,700 to $104,8502,250
Wyoming$94,030$75,370 to $109,960580

Nationally: $90,150. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 9 of its 21 rated tasks

6 · AI alone could halve the time 3 · AI + software built on it could 12 · Not much 1 · Not rated
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
AI alone Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials. Not published
AI alone Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans. Not published
AI alone Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety. Not published
Not much Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future. Not published
Not much Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations. Not published
Not much Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment. Not published
See all 22 tasks
Not much Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance. Not published
Not much Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment. under 0.01%
Not much Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis. Not published
Not rated Write reports. 0.11%
Not much Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations. Not published
AI + software Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards. Not published
AI alone Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures. Not published
Not much Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies. Not published
AI + software Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations. Not published
AI alone Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances. Not published
Not much Collect samples of hazardous materials or arrange for sample collection. Not published
AI alone Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees. Not published
Not much Conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites or participate in hazardous waste site investigations. Not published
AI + software Maintain inventories of hazardous materials or hazardous wastes, using waste tracking systems to ensure that materials are handled properly. Not published
Not much Perform laboratory analyses or physical inspections of samples to detect disease or to assess purity or cleanliness. Not published
Not much Prepare hazardous, radioactive, or mixed waste samples for transportation or storage by treating, compacting, packaging, and labeling them. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 22 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up9 of 21 rated tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most4 of 22 activities
  • #20 Present research or technical information
  • #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
  • #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
  • and 1 more, in the table below
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Inspect facilities or equipment 2.73#174 0.73#181
Train others on health or medical topics 0.47#272 5.29#84
Test sites or materials for environmental hazards 0.05#326 0.01#316
Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance 3.59#153 0.73#180
Develop public or community health programs 0.32#284 0.17#250
Present research or technical information 100#20 339#6
Prepare informational or instructional materials 73#23 195#11
Communicate with others about specifications or project details 72#25 85#21
Show all 22 activities
Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles 67#28 14#56
Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues 17#62 47#29
Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data 15#68 3.48#107
Maintain safety or security 9.38#93 16#51
Investigate incidents or accidents 8.06#104 0.71#183
Investigate organizational or operational problems 7.23#108 2.15#125
Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities 4.23#140 2.99#113
Analyze data to improve operations 3.31#159 1.09#162
Develop contingency or emergency response plans 0.84#246 0.62#189
Collect samples of products or materials 0.70#256 0.13#262
Package objects 0.69#258 0.14#259
Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products 0.43#276 0.10#268
Prepare industrial materials for processing or use 0.42#277 0.17#251
Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care 0.38#279 0.10#270
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Develop public or community health programs” holds 2 tasks rated AI alone, yet people asked AI for help with it in 0.32 of every 10,000 conversations, #284 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • A document or report60%
  • An analysis or summary16%
  • A resume or job application5%
  • An academic paper or thesis3%
  • An email or message3%

How they worked with Claude

47% handed the task off53% worked on it together

48% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for occupational health and safety specialists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Occupational health and safety specialists: +18.5%Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Occupational health and safety specialists: +18.5%Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 71,132 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 13%
  2. 2 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
  3. 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
  4. 4 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors High +5.4% 3%
  5. 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 97,342 moves in

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 12%
  2. 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
  3. 3 Occupational Health and Safety Technicians Moderate +19.4% 3%
  4. 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
  5. 5 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 2%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

O*NET survey of workers in this occupation

  • 4% postsecondary certificate
  • 4% associate's
  • 74% bachelor's
  • 9% post-bachelor's certificate
  • 9% master's

O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 people answered.

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 3% less than high school
  • 17% high school
  • 17% some college
  • 13% associate's
  • 32% bachelor's
  • 15% master's
  • 1% professional degree
  • 1% doctorate

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians” · 1,011 people surveyed.

Why the two can differ

O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
6 programs, such as Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician, Industrial Safety Technology/Technician and Environmental Toxicology.
See all
  • Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician
  • Industrial Safety Technology/Technician
  • Environmental Toxicology
  • Environmental Health
  • Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
  • Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

75.1% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license4.9%19.1%
a certification17.5%5.8%
an educational certificate0.8%2.8%

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

  • Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
  • Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
  • License Finder ↗ licenses by state
  • Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Mine Safety and Health Inspector (Limited); SAFETY INSPECTOR/TECHNICIAN (Alternate Title: Preventive Medicine Specialist); Safety Inspector/Technician). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Occupational Health and Safety Specialists” there.

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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