Career
Occupational health and safety technicians
Test workplaces for hazards and help keep them safe.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.
- Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment.
- Train workers in safety procedures related to green jobs, such as the use of fall protection devices or maintenance of proper ventilation during wind turbine construction.
- Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise.
- Maintain all required environmental records and documentation.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $61,560 a year and 3,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Public HealthSee the degree →
- Allied Health ProfessionsSee the degree →
- Process Safety Technology/TechnicianCIP 15.0705
- Environmental ToxicologyCIP 26.1006
- Radiation Protection/Health Physics TechnicianCIP 51.0916
- Environmental HealthCIP 51.2202
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors$115,160 · +5.4%
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$90,150 · +18.5%
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$82,220 · +6.1%
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health$55,090 · +6.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.