How to become a

Occupational Health Safety Specialist

Occupational Health Safety Specialistcareers in the U.S. (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists) earn a national median of $90,150 per year (May 2025), with a typical entry of bachelor's degree.

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Occupational Health Safety Specialist at a glance

Median yearly pay
$90,150
National estimate · May 2025
Median hourly
$43
Annual median ÷ 2,080 hours
U.S. workers
140.6K
In the published occupation · May 2025
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
Usual entry-level education (BLS OOH)

Where pay actually lands

May 2025 · national

Reading the band: 10% of workers earn below the left edge, 90% earn below the right edge, and the marker is the median. BLS publishes all four edges for this occupation.

$55,000$90,150 median$134,950

10th to 90th percentile, national median pay · May 2025

10th percentile

$55,000

25th percentile

$69,560

75th percentile

$111,690

90th percentile

$134,950

A median is the middle: half of workers earn more, half earn less. It is a snapshot of the national occupation, not a promise for any single job, offer, or region.

How to become a

How to become a Occupational Health Safety Specialist

A occupational health safety specialist career in the United States is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks as the occupation Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. The route in is straightforward: start with the education BLS reports as typical, compare that with the online programs that lead to the role, and use the pay figures below as a realistic starting point.

The education path

BLS reports the typical entry point for occupational health safety specialist as a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree is typically about four years of study and is the most common point of entry for the occupation.

That degree is the standard first step, and it is the level most online programs are built around. Students cover general requirements first, then the major coursework tied to the occupation, and many move from a two-year program into a full bachelor's degree without starting over.

Within the directory, the degree-finder routes that lead here are Bachelor's programs, Certificate programs, Associate's programs. Each link preloads your level and field, so you arrive at the first question that actually needs an answer instead of starting from scratch.

What the work pays

Nationally, the occupation Occupational Health and Safety Specialists reported a median of $90,150 per year in the May 2025 OEWS estimate. BLS derives an hourly figure from a standard 2,080-hour year, which puts this career at about $43 per hour.

Most published earnings for the occupation fall between $55,000 and $134,950 per year. Half of all reported workers earn between $69,560 and $111,690, and local markets move within that wider band, so use it when you compare regions and employers.

Across the country, the published occupation counts 140,610 workers, reported nationally as Occupational Health and Safety Specialists for the 2025 reference year. A national median is a snapshot of the whole occupation, not a promise for one job, offer, or region.

Ways in and what comes next

The direct route in matches the published entry level: a bachelor's degree. From there, most progression happens on the job, and pay typically rises with experience within the band above.

Careers that sit next to occupational health safety specialist in the same field are worth comparing before you commit, including Dmv Examiner at $92,100 per year, Disaster Response Director at $93,330 per year, Fraud Investigator at $93,790 per year. Each has its own page with the same published-source pay band, so the comparison is apples to apples.

Already thinking about switching? The degree finder asks what you enjoy and what you want from a career, then returns programs that match your answers. Nothing in the results is ordered by payment, and no school can buy a higher position.

The honest version

Every figure on this page comes from published BLS data or the career directory behind the site; nothing is estimated, interpolated, or inflated. Verify anything that matters to your decision against the sources linked above, then run the finder to see which online programs fit your level, field, and timeline.

Questions people ask

How much does a occupational health safety specialist earn?

The published BLS OEWS median for the occupation Occupational Health and Safety Specialists is $90,150 per year (May 2025), about $43 per hour at the standard 2,080-hour year. Most published earnings sit between $55,000 and $134,950 per year.

How many occupational health safety specialist jobs exist in the United States?

140,610 workers were counted nationally in the occupation Occupational Health and Safety Specialists for the 2025 OEWS reference year.

What education do you need to become a occupational health safety specialist?

The published typical entry-level education is a bachelor's degree. A bachelor's degree is typically about four years of study and is the most common point of entry for the occupation.

How long does it take to become a occupational health safety specialist?

From the published entry point (a bachelor's degree), the time depends on the route you choose and whether you study full time, part time, or online. The degree programs that lead here list their own lengths, and transfer credits from earlier study can shorten them.

Which degrees point toward a occupational health safety specialist career?

Certificate, associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs can all lead toward this field. The routes that tend to lead here in the directory are Bachelor's programs, Certificate programs, Associate's programs, and the degree finder preloads your level and subject so you can see what is actually available online.

See which online programs lead to Occupational Health Safety Specialist

Answer a few questions about your level, subject, and goals. The finder skips what is already answered and shows programs that actually match.

About this career page

Median pay, hourly pay, employment, and percentile ranges are the national estimates published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics through the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for the 2025 reference year. Occupational Health Safety Specialist is grouped with the published occupation “Occupational Health and Safety Specialists”.

Typical entry-level education follows the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Pay varies by state, employer, and experience, and a national median is never a promise for your specific job or region.

Every figure on this page is real and labelled with its year. No figure is estimated, interpolated, or inflated.

Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Directory updated
November 2026

Occupational Health Safety Specialist: one career, real data