Occupational health and safety specialists identify and reduce workplace hazards. You'll investigate conditions, analyze data, and help organizations meet safety standards. The role requires a bachelor's degree and strong analytical skills, but offers steady demand and meaningful work.
Pathly builds you a free, personalized roadmap and helps your counselor champion you along the way.
You inspect workplaces, collect safety data, and evaluate whether conditions meet legal and industry standards. You document hazards, write reports, and recommend improvements to prevent injuries and illnesses. Your work involves staying current on regulations, analyzing trends in safety incidents, and communicating findings to managers and workers. You may also help design training programs and monitor whether safety measures are actually working. This is detail-oriented work that requires both technical knowledge and the ability to explain complex information clearly.
Core work activities
Career video courtesy of CareerOneStop.
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists earn a median of $90,150 a year, based on 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and location.
The outlook is strong. Employment is projected to grow 13 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average for all occupations, with about 14,900 openings a year.
Top skills
Knowledge areas
Start with a bachelor's degree, typically in occupational health and safety, engineering, or a related field. Your coursework will cover chemistry, mathematics, and safety regulations. During your studies, you'll develop skills in data analysis, critical thinking, and technical writing. Many programs include internships or lab work that give you real-world exposure. After graduation, you may pursue additional certifications to advance your credentials and expertise in specific safety areas.
Most people enter this field through a four-year degree program. If you're deciding between different educational paths or timing, Pathly can map the occupational health and safety specialist path that fits you can help you map out the steps with your counselor.
Many occupational health and safety specialists must be licensed, and professional certifications can strengthen your resume.
Common certifications
Licensing is handled at the state level and the requirements vary, so check the licensing board in your state. Pathly shows your state's specific steps inside your roadmap.
You're drawn to investigating problems, analyzing data, and understanding how systems work. You enjoy research, asking questions, and using evidence to make decisions.
Reading about a career is the easy part. Turning it into a plan is where most students get stuck. Pathly takes you from curious to a clear next step, and gives your counselor the insight to champion you along the way.
Start with a quick quiz and assessments that surface your personality, your EQ, and what really motivates you, so your next steps are built around who you actually are.
Your free AI guide weighs this career against your strengths and goals, and surfaces the colleges, trades, and scholarships that match, so you know if it truly fits before you commit.
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Last updated July 1, 2026.
Data sources. Career details from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Salary and outlook figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 wages; 2024–2034 projections), delivered via the CareerOneStop API. Certification, licensing, wage, and outlook data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).