Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
Occupation · SOC 19-5011.00
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.
Also called: Industrial Hygiene Consultant · Industrial Hygienist · Safety Consultant · Safety Specialist · Chemical Hygiene Officer · EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer) · Health and Safety Analyst · Industrial Hygienist Consultant · OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant) · Risk Control Consultant · Analysis Safety Inspector · Cause Analyst
Job family: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-19-5011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+12.5% by 2034)
- 14,900 openings/yr
- Moderate AI exposure
- Median pay $83,910/yr
50th-percentile task overlap — yet about 14,900 openings a year (+12.5% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 51st | 0.6 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Moderate | 50th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +12.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 14,900 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 131,900 → 148,400 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Tasks
All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials. Core · importance 4.6
- Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans. Core · importance 4.4
- Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety. Core · importance 4.4
- Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future. Core · importance 4.3
- Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations. Core · importance 4.1
- Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment. Core · importance 4.1
- Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis. Core · importance 4.1
- Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance. Core · importance 4.0
- Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment. Core · importance 4.0
- Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations. Core · importance 4.0
- Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies. Core · importance 3.8
- Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations. Core · importance 3.7
- Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards. Core · importance 3.6
- Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures. Core · importance 3.6
- Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances. Core · importance 3.6
- Conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites or participate in hazardous waste site investigations. Core · importance 3.5
- Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees. Core · importance 3.4
- Maintain inventories of hazardous materials or hazardous wastes, using waste tracking systems to ensure that materials are handled properly. Core · importance 3.4
- Collect samples of hazardous materials or arrange for sample collection. Core · importance 3.2
- Prepare hazardous, radioactive, or mixed waste samples for transportation or storage by treating, compacting, packaging, and labeling them. Core · importance 3.2
- Perform laboratory analyses or physical inspections of samples to detect disease or to assess purity or cleanliness. Core · importance 3.1
Work activities
- Maintain safety.
- Advise communities or institutions regarding health or safety issues.
- Investigate accidents to determine causes.
- Inspect work environments to ensure safety.
- Design public or employee health programs.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
- Consult with others regarding safety or health equipment or facilities.
- Conduct health or safety training programs.
- Prepare healthcare training materials.
- Collect samples for analysis or testing.
- Collect samples of raw materials or finished products.
- Test facilities for environmental hazards.
- Develop emergency procedures.
- Monitor the handling of hazardous materials or medical wastes.
- Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment.
- Prepare hazardous waste for processing or disposal.
- Package products for storage or shipment.
- Package materials for transport.
- Analyze laboratory specimens to detect abnormalities or other problems.
- Investigate safety of work environment.
- Analyze data to identify trends or relationships among variables.
- Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
- Write reports or evaluations.
- Write operational reports.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Written Expression | 3.9 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.8 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.8 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.3 |
Knowledge
| English Language | 4.0 | |
| Chemistry | 3.9 | |
| Education and Training | 3.8 | |
| Mathematics | 3.8 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.7 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.6 | |
| Biology | 3.6 | |
| Law and Government | 3.5 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.5 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.4 | |
| Building and Construction | 3.3 | |
| Mechanical | 3.2 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.2 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.8 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 | |
| Instructing | 3.3 | |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 42.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Biological and Biomedical Sciences , Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians , Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 73.9% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 8.7% | |
| Master's Degree | 8.7% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 4.3% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 4.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 5.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 4.0 | |
| Integrity | 3.0 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Investigative | 5.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.7 | |
| Realistic | 4.5 | |
| Social | 3.5 | |
| Enterprising | 3.2 |
Interest areas
| Medical Science | 3.8 | |
| Physical Science | 3.7 | |
| Health Care Service | 3.4 | |
| Public Speaking | 3.2 | |
| Law | 3.2 | |
| Engineering | 3.1 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 3.0 | |
| Protective Service | 3.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $50,610 |
| 25th percentile | $64,410 |
| Median (50th) | $83,910 |
| 75th percentile | $105,390 |
| 90th percentile | $130,460 |
| People employed | 128,430 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 22,630 | $83,710 |
| Construction · Sector | 19,940 | $84,890 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 14,280 | $84,080 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 10,640 | $74,350 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 5,970 | $80,540 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 5,550 | $98,710 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 5,510 | $86,430 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 5,190 | $76,200 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 3,700 | $92,390 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 3,660 | $81,740 |
| Utilities · Sector | 2,790 | $109,410 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 2,360 | $89,560 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 9.94× | 590 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction · Sector | 7.75× | 3,700 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 7.23× | 1,410 |
| Utilities · Sector | 5.78× | 2,790 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 4.85× | 150 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 3.88× | 550 |
| Construction · Sector | 2.95× | 19,940 |
| Other Building Equipment Contractors · National industry | 2.89× | 370 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Management & Entrepreneurship career clusters.
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors · 17-2111.00 Compare →
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians · 19-5012.00 Compare →
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors · 13-1041.01 Compare →
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health · 19-4042.00 Compare →
- Construction and Building Inspectors · 47-4011.00 Compare →
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health · 19-2041.00 Compare →
- Environmental Engineers · 17-2081.00 Compare →
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3025.00 Compare →
- Security Management Specialists · 13-1199.07 Compare →
- Security Managers · 11-3013.01 Compare →
- Agricultural Inspectors · 45-2011.00 Compare →
- Preventive Medicine Physicians · 29-1229.05 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors Compare →
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians Compare →
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors Compare →
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health Compare →
- Construction and Building Inspectors Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences · field of study
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
See where this work sits in the bigger picture.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists show 50th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 14,900 annual U.S. openings
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists rank in the 50th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 14,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+12.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $83,910, across about 128,430 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists show 50th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 14,900 annual U.S. openings • Occupational Health and Safety Specialists rank in the 50th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 14,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+12.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $83,910, across about 128,430 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Occupational Health and Safety Specialists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-5011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Occupational Health and Safety Specialists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-5011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-5011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-19-5011-00,
title = {Occupational Health and Safety Specialists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-19-5011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.