Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Also called: Advisory Industrial Hygienist, Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), Construction Safety Consultant, Consumer Safety Technician (Consumer Safety Tech), EHS Advisor (Environmental, Health, and Safety Advisor), EHS Coordinator (Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator), Environmental Health and Safety Technician (Environmental Health and Safety Tech)
Collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists.
What occupational health and safety technicians do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques.
- Inspect fire suppression systems or portable fire systems to ensure proper working order.
- Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators.
- Recommend corrective measures to be applied based on results of environmental contaminant analyses.
- Prepare or review specifications or orders for the purchase of safety equipment, ensuring that proper features are present and that items conform to health and safety standards.
- Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples.
- Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians salary
The median annual wage for occupational health and safety technicians is $61,560 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $46,280 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $100,160. The mean annual wage is $68,120.
The mean hourly wage of $32.00 is 4.4× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $61,560 → in 3 years $68,100 → in 5 years $72,900 → in 10 years $86,300 (10-year range $74,200–$100,200). The model assumes pay growth of +3.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Occupational Health and Safety Technicians? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become occupational health and safety technicians
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as occupational health and safety technicians
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.