Occupational Health & Safety Specialists & Technicians
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What is the difference between an occupational health and safety specialist, an inspector, an industrial hygienist and a technician? Are the career education requirements different for each? What types of jobs are available? Use the information below to discover what career opportunities are available in the occupational health and safety field and the training and education paths you can take.
Learn more in the career education information listed below:
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- Job Description
- Employment
- Job Outlook
- Related Occupations
- Working Conditions
- Education, Training & Qualifications
- Salary Expectations
- Associations, Resources & Accreditation
Overview
- Almost half of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work in Federal, State, and local government agencies that enforce rules on health and safety.
- For positions as specialists, many employers, including the Federal Government, require 4-year college degrees in safety or a related field.
Job Description
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians, also known as occupational health and safety inspectors and industrial hygienists, help keep workplaces safe and workers unscathed. They promote occupational health and safety within organizations by developing safer, healthier, and more efficient ways of working. Occupational health and safety specialists analyze work environments and design programs to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. They may conduct inspections and enforce adherence to laws, regulations, or employer policies governing worker health and safety. Occupational health and safety technicians collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Usually working under the supervision of specialists, they help implement and evaluate programs designed to limit risks to workers.
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians identify hazardous conditions and practices. Sometimes, they develop methods to predict hazards from experience, historical data, and other information sources. Then they identify potential hazards in existing or future systems, equipment, products, facilities, or processes. After reviewing the causes or effects of hazards, they evaluate the probability and severity of accidents that may result. For example, they might uncover patterns in injury data that implicate a specific cause such as system failure, human error, incomplete or faulty decision making, or a weakness in existing policies or practices. Then they develop and help enforce a plan to eliminate hazards, conducting training sessions for management, supervisors, and workers on health and safety practices and regulations, as necessary. Lastly, they may check on the progress of the safety plan after its implementation. If improvements are not satisfactory, a new plan might be designed and put into practice.
Many occupational health and safety specialists inspect and test machinery and equipment, such as lifting devices, machine shields, or scaffolding, to ensure they meet appropriate safety regulations. They may check that personal protective equipment, such as masks, respirators, safety glasses, or safety helmets, is being used in workplaces according to regulations. They also check that dangerous materials are stored correctly. They test and identify work areas for potential accident and health hazards, such as toxic fumes and explosive gas-air mixtures, and may implement appropriate control measures, such as adjustments to ventilation systems. Their investigations might involve talking with workers and observing their work, as well as inspecting elements in their work environment, such as lighting, tools, and equipment.
To measure and control hazardous substances, such as the noise or radiation levels, occupational health and safety specialists and technicians prepare and calibrate scientific equipment. Samples of dust, gases, vapors, and other potentially toxic materials must be collected and handled properly to ensure safety and accurate test results.
If an accident occurs, occupational health and safety specialists help investigate unsafe working conditions, study possible causes, and recommend remedial action. Some occupational health and safety specialists and technicians assist with the rehabilitation of workers after accidents and injuries, and make sure they return to work successfully.
Frequent communication with management may be necessary to report on the status of occupational health and safety programs. Consultation with engineers or physicians also may be required.
Occupational health and safety specialists prepare reports including observations, analysis of contaminants, and recommendation for control and correction of hazards. Those who develop expertise in certain areas may develop occupational health and safety systems, including policies, procedures, and manuals.
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Occupational Health & Safety Specialists & Technicians
|
What is the difference between an occupational health and safety specialist, an inspector, an industrial hygienist and a technician? Are the career education requirements different for each? What types of jobs are available? Use the information below to discover what career opportunities are available in the occupational health and safety field and the training and education paths you can take.
Learn more in the career education information listed below:
|
- Job Description
- Employment
- Job Outlook
- Related Occupations
- Working Conditions
- Education, Training & Qualifications
- Salary Expectations
- Associations, Resources & Accreditation
Overview
- Almost half of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work in Federal, State, and local government agencies that enforce rules on health and safety.
- For positions as specialists, many employers, including the Federal Government, require 4-year college degrees in safety or a related field.
Job Description
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians, also known as occupational health and safety inspectors and industrial hygienists, help keep workplaces safe and workers unscathed. They promote occupational health and safety within organizations by developing safer, healthier, and more efficient ways of working. Occupational health and safety specialists analyze work environments and design programs to control, eliminate, and prevent disease or injury caused by chemical, physical, and biological agents or ergonomic factors. They may conduct inspections and enforce adherence to laws, regulations, or employer policies governing worker health and safety. Occupational health and safety technicians collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Usually working under the supervision of specialists, they help implement and evaluate programs designed to limit risks to workers.
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians identify hazardous conditions and practices. Sometimes, they develop methods to predict hazards from experience, historical data, and other information sources. Then they identify potential hazards in existing or future systems, equipment, products, facilities, or processes. After reviewing the causes or effects of hazards, they evaluate the probability and severity of accidents that may result. For example, they might uncover patterns in injury data that implicate a specific cause such as system failure, human error, incomplete or faulty decision making, or a weakness in existing policies or practices. Then they develop and help enforce a plan to eliminate hazards, conducting training sessions for management, supervisors, and workers on health and safety practices and regulations, as necessary. Lastly, they may check on the progress of the safety plan after its implementation. If improvements are not satisfactory, a new plan might be designed and put into practice.
Many occupational health and safety specialists inspect and test machinery and equipment, such as lifting devices, machine shields, or scaffolding, to ensure they meet appropriate safety regulations. They may check that personal protective equipment, such as masks, respirators, safety glasses, or safety helmets, is being used in workplaces according to regulations. They also check that dangerous materials are stored correctly. They test and identify work areas for potential accident and health hazards, such as toxic fumes and explosive gas-air mixtures, and may implement appropriate control measures, such as adjustments to ventilation systems. Their investigations might involve talking with workers and observing their work, as well as inspecting elements in their work environment, such as lighting, tools, and equipment.
To measure and control hazardous substances, such as the noise or radiation levels, occupational health and safety specialists and technicians prepare and calibrate scientific equipment. Samples of dust, gases, vapors, and other potentially toxic materials must be collected and handled properly to ensure safety and accurate test results.
If an accident occurs, occupational health and safety specialists help investigate unsafe working conditions, study possible causes, and recommend remedial action. Some occupational health and safety specialists and technicians assist with the rehabilitation of workers after accidents and injuries, and make sure they return to work successfully.
Frequent communication with management may be necessary to report on the status of occupational health and safety programs. Consultation with engineers or physicians also may be required.
Occupational health and safety specialists prepare reports including observations, analysis of contaminants, and recommendation for control and correction of hazards. Those who develop expertise in certain areas may develop occupational health and safety systems, including policies, procedures, and manuals.
Working Conditions
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work with many different people in a variety of environments. Their jobs often involve considerable fieldwork, and some travel frequently. Many occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work long and often irregular hours.
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians may experience unpleasant, stressful, and dangerous working conditions. For example, health and safety inspectors are exposed to many of the same physically strenuous conditions and hazards as industrial employees, and the work may be performed in unpleasant, stressful, and dangerous working conditions. Health and safety inspectors may find themselves in adversarial roles when the organization or individual being inspected objects to the process or its consequences
Employment
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians held about 35,000 jobs in 2000. The Federal Government - chiefly the Department of Labor - employed 8 percent, State governments employed 17 percent, and local governments employed 19 percent. The remainder were employed throughout the private sector in schools, hospitals, management consulting firms, public utilities, and manufacturing firms.
Within the Federal government, most jobs are as Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) inspectors, who enforce U.S. Department of Labor regulations that ensure adequate safety principles, practices, and techniques are applied in workplaces. Employers may be fined for violations of OSHA standards. Within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, occupational health and safety specialists working for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provide private companies with an avenue to evaluate the health and safety of their employees without the risk of being fined. Most large government agencies also employ occupational health and safety specialists and technicians who work to protect agency employees.
Most private companies either employ their own safety personnel or contract safety professionals to ensure OSHA compliance, as needed.
Education, Training & Qualifications
Requirements include a combination of education, experience, and passing scores on written examinations. Many employers, including the Federal Government, require a 4-year college degree in safety or a related field for some positions. Experience as a safety professional is also a prerequisite for many positions.
All occupational health and safety specialists and technicians are trained in the applicable laws or inspection procedures through some combination of classroom and on-the-job training. In general, people who want to enter this occupation should be responsible and like detailed work. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians should be able to communicate well. Recommended high school courses include English, chemistry, biology, and physics.
Certification is available through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH). The BCSP offers the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential, while the ABIH proffers the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential. Also, the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental, and Safety Technologists, a joint effort between the BCSP and ABIH, awards the Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST) credential. Requirements for the OHST credential are less stringent than those for the CSP or CIH credentials. Once education and experience requirements have been met, certification may be obtained through an examination. Continuing education is required for recertification. Although voluntary, many employers encourage certification.
Federal Government occupational health and safety specialists and technicians whose job performance is satisfactory advance through their career ladder to a specified full-performance level. For positions above this level, usually supervisory positions, advancement is competitive and based on agency needs and individual merit. Advancement opportunities in State and local governments and the private sector are often similar to those in the Federal Government.
With additional experience or education, promotion to a managerial position is possible. Research or related teaching positions at the college level require advanced education.
Job Outlook
Employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2010, reflecting a balance of continuing public demand for a safe and healthy work environment against the desire for smaller government and fewer regulations. Additional job openings will arise from the need to replace those who transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the labor force for other reasons. In private industry, employment growth will reflect industry growth and the continuing self-enforcement of government and company regulations and policies.
Employment of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians is seldom affected by general economic fluctuations. Federal, State, and local governments, which employ almost half of all specialists and technicians, provide considerable job security.
Salary Expectations
Median annual earnings of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians were $42,750 in 2000. The middle 50 percent earned between $32,060 and $54,880. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,780, while the highest 10 percent earned over $67,760. Median annual earnings of occupational health and safety specialists and technicians in 2000 were $41,330 in local government and $41,110 in State government.
Most occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work for Federal, State, and local governments or in large private firms, most of which offer more generous benefits than do smaller firms.
Related Occupations
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians ensure that laws and regulations are obeyed. Others who enforce laws and regulations include agricultural inspectors, construction and building inspectors, correctional officers, financial examiners, fire inspectors, police and detectives, and transportation inspectors.
Associations, Resources & Accreditation
Information about jobs in Federal, State, and local government as well as in private industry is available from the States' employment service offices.
For information on a career as an industrial hygienist and a list of colleges and universities offering programs in industrial hygiene, contact:
- American Industrial Hygiene Association
For a list of colleges and universities offering safety and related degrees, including correspondence courses, contact:
- American Society of Safety Engineers
For information on the Certified Safety Professional credential, contact:
- Board of Certified Safety Professionals
For information on the Certified Industrial Hygiene credential, contact:
- American Board of Industrial Hygiene
For information on the Occupational Health and Safety Technologist credential, contact:
- Council on Certification of Health, Environmental, and Safety Technologists
For additional career information, contact:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
- U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Information on obtaining positions as occupational health and safety specialists and technicians with the Federal Government is available from the Office of Personnel Management through a telephone-based system. Consult your telephone directory under U.S. Government for a local number or call (912) 757-3000; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. The first number is not toll free, and charges may result.
Source:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-03 Edition, Accountants and Auditors, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm
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