Jobs / Science and research / 19-5011.00
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.
- US jobs
- 140,610
- Median wage
- $90,150 a year
- Job family
- Science and research
Can agents do the work of occupational health and safety specialists?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:
- Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
- Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.
- 95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025Solved
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- 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 management plans.
- 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.
- Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations.
- Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis.
- Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment.
- Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
- Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.
- Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations.
- Write reports.
- Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies.
Other job titles for this occupation (72)
Chemical Hygiene Officer · EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer) · Health and Safety Analyst · Industrial Hygiene Consultant · Industrial Hygienist · Industrial Hygienist Consultant · OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant) · Risk Control Consultant · Safety Consultant · Safety Specialist · Analysis Safety Inspector · Cause Analyst · Certified Indoor Environmentalist · Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) · Construction Safety Manager · Consumer Safety Inspector · Dining Service Inspector · EHS Specialist (Environmental Health and Safety Specialist) · Environmental Health Inspector · Environmental Health Sanitarian · Environmental Health Technologist · Environmental Protection Inspector · Environmental Protection Officer · Field Health Officer · Food and Drug Inspector · Food Inspector · Hazardous Waste Management Specialist · Health and Safety Inspector · Health Care Facilities Inspector · Health Inspector · Health Sanitarian · Health Specialist · Industrial Safety and Health Specialist · Industrial Waste Inspector · Mine Safety and Health Inspector · Mortician Investigator · Occupational Safety and Health Inspector · OHS Specialist (Occupational Health and Safety Specialist) · OSHA Inspector (Occupational Safety and Health Administration Inspector) · Public Health Inspector · Public Health Service Officer · Quarantine Inspector · Rabies Inspector · Radiation Protection Specialist · Radiological Health Specialist · Regional Safety Manager · Research Safety Inspector · Restaurant Inspector · Risk Analyst · Safety Administrator · Safety Advisor · Safety and Compliance Manager · Safety and Occupational Health Specialist · Safety Inspector · Safety Instructor · Safety Investigator · Safety Officer · Safety Person · Safety Project Manager (Safety PM) · Safety Trainer · Sanitarian · Sanitarian Inspector · Sanitary Inspector · Sanitation Inspector · Sanitation Officer · Sanitation Specialist · Site Safety and Health Officer · Site Safety Manager · Tick Inspector · Venereal Disease Investigator · Water Inspector · Work Environment Safety Inspector