Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
In short: today's best AI models could do about 55% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 60% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The people and hands-on work, about 40% of the time, stays with people.
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.
30,590 people do this job in the US. $61,560 a year.
A typical 40-hour week
Not yet reviewed task by task- AI could take on22 h
- A person checks AI's work0 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet2 h
- Stays with people16 h
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 22 hours, 0 hours become checking its work, 2 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 16 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques (about 6 h); Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related (about 4 h); Maintain all required environmental records and documentation (about 3 h).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 60%
- 1%
- 39%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days 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, 22%. Today's estimate: 56%.
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.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, no reportable share went to this job's tasks in May 2026; 0 of its 26 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.012% to 0.0087% (released February and March 2025); 0.016% to 0.0088% (August 2025 to February 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.012% | 512 of 708 | 3 of 26 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.0087% | 528 of 703 | 2 of 26 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.016% | 390 of 655 | 3 of 26 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.012% | 449 of 672 | 3 of 26 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.0088% | 512 of 677 | 2 of 26 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 26 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | none | n/a | 0 of 26 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 44% of this job's working time as physical work. For 28% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 16% in a purpose-built cell, 12% in a structured facility. 0.40 of 3, the 342nd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 56%
- No robot shown 16%
- In a purpose-built cell 16%
- In a structured facility 12%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
The tasks
Sorted by . 26 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 13% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.1 work days | 76%Half by now | |
| Maintain all required environmental records and documentation.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 4.2 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Moxi (Diligent Robotics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 50 min13 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Test or balance newly installed HVAC systems to determine whether indoor air quality standards are met.Done yearly or less by most who do it.Robots: in a purpose-built cell, Spot with Teledyne FLIR MUVE C360 gas payload (Boston Dynamics) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 7% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators.Done more than monthly by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Poochi (TCS-instrumented Unitree Go2 quadruped) (Tata Consultancy Services) (sold). Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 6% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Educate the public about health issues or enforce health legislation to prevent disease, to promote health, or to help people understand health protection procedures and regulations.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| 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.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct interviews to obtain information or evidence regarding communicable diseases or violations of health or sanitation regulations.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 5 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Collect data regarding potential hazards from new equipment or products linked to green practices.Done more than yearly by most who do it. Robots: in a structured facility, Boston Dynamics Spot with FLIR MUVE C360 gas sensor and Spot CAM+IR (MFE Inspection Solutions integration) (deployed). Anthropic's rating. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 99%Half by now |
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 Inspectors35% now, 73% by 2028
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists40% now, 54% by 2028
- Environmental Compliance Inspectors58% now, 63% by 2028
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health21% now, 68% by 2028
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health34% now, 65% by 2028
- Environmental Engineers31% now, 58% 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).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Occupational Health and Safety Technicians is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 56% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 60% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Occupational Health and Safety Technicians come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques (96% of the task's time now); Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related (76% of the task's time now, 100% by the end of 2028); and Maintain all required environmental records and documentation (98% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Occupational Health and Safety Technicians stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment; Test or balance newly installed HVAC systems to determine whether indoor air quality standards are met; and Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators. Together such tasks are about 40% of the working time.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Occupational Health and Safety Technicians?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026, no reportable share went to this job's tasks. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Occupational Health and Safety Technicians?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 44% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 28% of the working time, 12% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.40 of 3. One example: Poochi (TCS-instrumented Unitree Go2 quadruped) for "verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 26 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, each classed as desk, people or body work, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
This occupation has not been reviewed task by task yet, so the full personal report is not offered for it; 402 of 923 occupations are reviewed so far, largest first.