Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 19-5011

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Projected +13% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Materials Scientists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Nuclear Technicians, Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: Materials Scientists ($118K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Nuclear Technicians ($110K) , Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Occupational Health and Safety Specialists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-5011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials
  2. 2. Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos managemen…
  3. 3. Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety
  4. 4. Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future
  5. 5. Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations
  6. 6. Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis
  7. 7. Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or e…
  8. 8. Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or…
  9. 9. Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment
  10. 10. Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations
  11. 11. Write reports
  12. 12. Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies

O*NET skills and knowledge for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-5011 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Writing 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 4.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.8
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.8
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.0
  2. 2. Chemistry 3.9
  3. 3. Education and Training 3.8
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.8
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  6. 6. Engineering and Technology 3.6
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +13%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $90,150/yr
$90K
National median
14,900
Annual openings
140,610
Estimated US jobs
Materials Scientists
Highest-pay peer · $118K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists

1. Rhode Island $101,740
2. Alaska $99,270
3. Illinois $98,270
4. Colorado $101,400
5. Massachusetts $103,970
6. Washington $102,920
7. New Hampshire $101,260
8. Maine $97,640
9. California $102,840
10. District of Columbia $111,530

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  2. 2. Nuclear Technicians $110,240
  3. 3. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  4. 4. Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $103,410
  5. 5. Materials Scientists $117,790
  6. 6. Psychologists, All Other $110,840

BLS projects +13% employment change for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $90,150.

BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Rhode Island at $101,740. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Materials Scientists at $117,790. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Occupational Health and Safety Specialists sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists sits at pay-rank #23 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Occupational Health and Safety Specialists in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Rhode Island

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Alaska

Second-highest state pay

Materials Scientists

Highest-pay peer · $118K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer · $101K

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Occupational Health and Safety Specialists with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Occupational Health and Safety Specialists mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #23 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Urban and Regional Planners ($89K), Chemists ($91K), Food Scientists and Technologists ($89K), Microbiologists ($88K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do occupational health and safety specialists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. Leading ones include: Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials; Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos managemen…; Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety; Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for occupational health and safety specialists? ▼
For SOC 19-5011, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0), Speaking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Chemistry, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $90,150 as the national median for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. The published 10th-90th range is $55,000 to $134,950. Beside Materials Scientists ($117,790), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Occupational Health and Safety Specialists projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Occupational Health and Safety Specialists at +13% change for 2024-2034, with about 14,900 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Occupational Health and Safety Specialists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists? ▼
Rhode Island ($101,740), Alaska ($99,270), Illinois ($98,270) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Occupational Health and Safety Specialists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-5011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics