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Boston Career Explorer

Life, Physical, and Social Science

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.

Also called: Chemical Hygiene Officer, EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer), Health and Safety Analyst, Industrial Hygiene Consultant, Industrial Hygienist, Industrial Hygienist Consultant

Compare with my current job (Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$105,960
$50.94/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,720
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+13.2%
380 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$70,200$85,920$105,960$130,500$158,000

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure62 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 66
  • Language-model AIOE 61
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 58

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is moderate, but observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools may help with reviewing records, spotting patterns, and drafting program documents. Site inspections, accident investigations, and decisions to stop unsafe work rely on people. Federal projections expect more demand as employers focus on worker health and safety.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing records and drafting safety programs
  • Analyzing hazard and accident data

Still relies on people

  • Walking sites and inspecting equipment in person
  • Ordering unsafe work to stop

What federal projections say

“Demand change - share increases as employers increasingly prioritize worker health and safety. This will be largely driven by an increased focus on employee well-being, the introduction of new technologies in the workplace, and a greater prevalence of climate-related hazards.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

0 programs near Boston (plus 3 graduate)

No programs below a master’s degree near Boston map to this job. Tick the box above to see graduate programs.

Related occupations

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