Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Life, Physical, and Social Science
Specialists design the broader safety program; this role measures conditions and puts that program into practice. Workplaces are tested for radiation, chemicals, biological hazards, or excess noise; fire suppression gear and portable extinguishers are checked; hearing protection, respirators, and other personal protective equipment are supplied, maintained, and watched in use. Records of those checks have to stay complete. The same person may train workers on procedures such as fall protection or ventilation during wind-turbine work, advise an organization on how to apply a safety practice, or decide whether a refused job is genuinely too dangerous. It suits people who like hands-on testing, keeping records, and explaining procedures on site.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$61'560
Median Wage Market Position
$61'560
What you might do
- Test workplaces for radiation, chemicals, and noise
- Issue and check personal protective equipment
- Train workers in fall protection and ventilation
- Inspect fire suppression and portable fire systems
- Maintain required environmental and safety records
- Rule on whether a safety work refusal holds
Skills that matter
- Testing sites for radiation and chemical hazards
- Maintaining required environmental records
- Training workers on fall protection
- Supplying and checking protective equipment
- Deciding if a work refusal is justified
- Inspecting fire systems for proper working order
AI & the future of this role
Routine monitoring data and checklist-style reporting could be partly automated. Hands-on sampling, equipment checks, and translating findings into practical fixes on the floor still depend on people who see conditions firsthand.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details