Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

Median salary

$61,560

Average salary

$68,120

Employment

30,590

Projected growth

8.5% growth

Annual openings

3,400

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Occupational Health and Safety Technicians Do

Collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Implement and conduct evaluation of programs designed to limit chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic risks to workers.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Education and Trainingimportance 4.1/5
English Languageimportance 4.1/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.8/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.7/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.7/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.7/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.6/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.4/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.5/5
Contact With Others4.4/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.3/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Fire Inspectors and Investigators98% skill match
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors97% skill match
Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers97% skill match
Dietetic Technicians97% skill match
Construction and Building Inspectors96% skill match
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists96% skill match
Food Scientists and Technologists96% skill match
Airfield Operations Specialists95% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
Negotiationimportance 3.1/5
Systems Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Instructingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Brady Lockout Pro
Database software
Email software
Graphics software
Industrial Scientific iNET
QuestSuite Professional
Remedy Interactive iMitigate
Statistical analysis software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Cautiousness
Dependability
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Stress Tolerance
Cooperation
Perseverance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ConventionalHigh
RealisticHigh
InvestigativeMedium
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where occupational health and safety technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Albuquerque, NM4.40× national avg
2Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN3.82× national avg
3Kenosha, WI3.66× national avg
4Mobile, AL3.43× national avg
5Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL3.32× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsAdvancement
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and InspectorsCareer Change
Construction and Building InspectorsCareer Change
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthAdvancement

See the full career path from Occupational Health and Safety Technicians →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.