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Manufacturing
3M, General Motors, Toyota
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Occupational health and safety technicians spend much of their time walking worksites, checking equipment, and documenting whether employers are following safety rules. The job is distinct because it mixes hands-on inspections with a lot of reporting and rule enforcement, so the tradeoff is steady, practical work that can also put you in the middle of disagreements when a crew wants to keep working and you think it is not safe.
Also known as Safety TechnicianEHS TechnicianEnvironmental Health and Safety TechnicianHealth and Safety TechnicianOccupational Safety Technician
Median Salary
$58,440
Mean $63,800
U.S. Workforce
~31K
3.4K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+8.5%
31.9K to 34.6K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians sits in the Science category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~31K workers, with a median annual pay of $58,440 and roughly 3.4K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 31.9 K in 2024 to 34.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree in occupational safety, environmental health, or a related science, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Safety Assistant and can progress toward Safety Manager. High-value skills usually include OSHA Compliance, Worksite Inspections & Audit Checklists, Hazard Assessment, Job Hazard Analysis & Risk Controls, and Incident Investigation, Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action Tracking, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Reading Comprehension.
Core Responsibilities
- Walk through work areas and equipment zones to spot hazards, including risks tied to new products or greener production methods.
- Look into injuries or illnesses to figure out whether the job may have caused them.
- Explain safety rules and protective procedures to workers or the public, and help with short training sessions.
- Review situations where someone refused to do a task because it seemed dangerous, and help decide whether the concern is valid.
Keep exploring: more Science careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Walk through work areas and equipment zones to spot hazards, including risks tied to new products or greener production methods.
02 Look into injuries or illnesses to figure out whether the job may have caused them.
03 Explain safety rules and protective procedures to workers or the public, and help with short training sessions.
04 Review situations where someone refused to do a task because it seemed dangerous, and help decide whether the concern is valid.
05 Check licenses, permits, and fire suppression systems to make sure everything is up to code and working properly.
06 Keep inspection notes, daily logs, and environmental records accurate and up to date.
Industries That Hire
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Construction and Engineering
Bechtel, Fluor, Turner Construction
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Healthcare
Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, HCA Healthcare
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Energy and Utilities
ExxonMobil, Duke Energy, NextEra Energy
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Government and Public Sector
U.S. Postal Service, OSHA, National Park Service
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Logistics and Warehousing
Amazon, UPS, FedEx
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is solid for a technician role, with a median annual wage of $58,440 and a mean of $63,800.
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There are about 3.4 thousand annual openings, so vacancies show up regularly even though the occupation is not huge.
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You do not always need a long degree path to get started; BLS lists high school plus training as a typical entry point, while many workers also come in with associate or bachelor's degrees.
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The work changes from site to site, so you are not stuck doing the same task all day.
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Your inspections and investigations can directly prevent injuries, illnesses, and fire hazards, which makes the results easy to see.
Challenges
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You may have to tell people to slow down or stop work, which can create conflict with crews and supervisors who are focused on production.
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A large share of the job is documentation, logbooks, and recordkeeping, so it is not just hands-on fieldwork.
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Many job sites are noisy, dirty, hot, or otherwise hazardous, so the work can be physically uncomfortable even when nothing goes wrong.
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The long-term ladder can be limited unless you move into specialist or management roles, so the technician title can become a ceiling.
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Employer expectations are uneven: the BLS says a high school diploma plus training can be enough, but many postings prefer a bachelor's degree, and hiring can tighten when construction, manufacturing, or public budgets slow down.
Career Progression
Safety Assistant
0-2 years
$35K-$45K
Helps with walk-throughs, logs, and basic follow-up while learning how to spot hazards and document findings.
Occupational Health and Safety Technician
2-5 years
$50K-$68K
Carries out routine inspections, checks compliance, investigates problems, and keeps safety records organized; the median pay for this role fits here.
Senior Occupational Health and Safety Technician THIS ROLE
5-8 years
$68K-$84K
Handles tougher inspections and investigations, leads small training sessions, and helps coordinate corrective actions across a site.
Safety Manager
8+ years
$85K-$110K
Oversees safety programs, policy updates, and compliance planning for one or more facilities.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree in occupational safety, environmental health, or a related science
This is the most common classroom route, held by 47.62% of workers in the occupation.
Associate's degree in safety, environmental science, or a related field
This is also a common pathway, reported by 19.05% of workers.
High school diploma or equivalent plus on-the-job training
The BLS lists this as the typical entry point, and 9.52% of workers report high school as their highest level of education.
Safety certification such as OSHA, NEBOSH, or ASSP credentials
A certification can help if you are moving into the field from another job, especially when paired with inspection or compliance experience.
Key Skills
Technical
OSHA Compliance, Worksite Inspections & Audit Checklists 92%
Hazard Assessment, Job Hazard Analysis & Risk Controls 88%
Incident Investigation, Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action Tracking 84%
Environmental Health & Safety Recordkeeping, Microsoft Excel & EHS Software 80%
Fire Suppression System Inspection & Life Safety Code Checks 76%
PPE, Lockout/Tagout & Permit Review 74%
Permits, Licenses & Regulatory Document Review 72%
Industrial Hygiene Sampling, Air Monitoring & Exposure Logs 70%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSpeakingWritingJudgment and Decision Making Job Outlook and Trends
+8.5%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
3.4K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 31.9K to 34.6 K over the next decade, representing 8.5% growth. Around 3.4 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.