Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
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.
140,610 people do this job in the US. $90,150 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 62%
- 3%
- 35%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 10%. Today's estimate: 16%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 22 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 33% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | 51%Half by now | |
| Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 8% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1.3 work days | 32%Half by Jan 2027 | |
| Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h1.1 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Write reports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 6.7 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | 25%Half by Mar 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors10% now, 62% by 2028
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians30% now, 60% by 2028
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors37% now, 63% by 2028
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health11% now, 61% by 2028
- Construction and Building Inspectors24% now, 48% by 2028
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health4% now, 57% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).