Occupational Health & Safety Specialists
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Environmental Health and Safety Officer, Industrial Hygienist, Safety Specialist
What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
- Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.
- 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.
Knowledge
Arts and Humanities
- English language
Education and Training
- teaching and course design
Math and Science
- chemistry
- arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Safety and Government
- public safety and security
Skills
Basic Skills
- talking to others
- listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
- noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
- measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it
- thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
Abilities
Verbal
- communicate by speaking
- communicate by writing
Ideas and Logic
- make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
- notice when problems happen
Visual Understanding
- see hidden patterns
- quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things
Math
- choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Integrity
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Adaptability/Flexibility
- Concern for Others
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Data base user interface and query software
- EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management
- Microsoft Access
Presentation software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Compliance software
- ESS Compliance Suite
- Primatech AUDITWorks
Education
Education: (rated 4 of 5)
bachelor's degree or
master's degree
usually needed
master's degree
usually needed
Job Outlook
Bright
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Explore More
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors
- Environmental Science & Protection Technicians, Including Health
- Environmental Scientists & Specialists, Including Health
- Health & Safety Engineers
- Occupational Health & Safety Technicians
You might like a career in one of these industries:
See more details at O*NET OnLine about occupational health and safety specialists.