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Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

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.

Related: Environmental Compliance Inspectors Environmental Science & Protection Technicians, Including Health Environmental Scientists & Specialists, Including Health Health & Safety Engineers Occupational Health & Safety Specialists

Industries: Transportation & Storage Manufacturing Professional, Science, & Technical

Summary
Details

Maintain logbooks of daily activities, including areas visited or activities performed.
Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists.
Recommend corrective measures to be applied based on results of environmental contaminant analyses.
Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques.
Examine credentials, licenses, or permits to ensure compliance with licensing requirements.
Examine practices at green building sites to determine whether adherence to green building standards alters risks to workers.
Help direct rescue or firefighting operations in the event of a fire or an explosion.
Help direct rescue or firefighting operations in the event of a fire or an explosion.
Help direct rescue or firefighting operations in the event of a fire or an explosion.
Test or balance newly installed HVAC systems to determine whether indoor air quality standards are met.
Conduct interviews to obtain information or evidence regarding communicable diseases or violations of health or sanitation regulations.
Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators.
Maintain all required environmental records and documentation.
Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise.
Review records or reports concerning laboratory results, staffing, floor plans, fire inspections, or sanitation to gather information for the development or enforcement of safety activities.
Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related.
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.
Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment.
Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples.
Plan emergency response drills.
Prepare documents to be used in legal proceedings, testifying in such proceedings when necessary.
Collect data regarding potential hazards from new equipment or products linked to green practices.
Collect data related to ecological or human health risks at brownfield sites.
Conduct interviews to obtain information or evidence regarding communicable diseases or violations of health or sanitation regulations.
Perform tests to identify any potential hazards related to recycled products used at green building sites.
Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples.
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.
Confer with schools, state authorities, or community groups to develop health standards or programs.
Inspect fire suppression systems or portable fire systems to ensure proper working order.
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.
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.

Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.

Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

80270/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

38.59/hr

Currently Employed

720

Yearly Projected Openings

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Cautiousness
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Stress Tolerance
Cooperation

Air compressors
Air pollutant samplers
Air samplers or collectors
Air sampling pumps
Air velocity and temperature monitors
Anemometers
Chemical absorption gas analyzers
Chromatographic detectors
Digital camcorders or video cameras
Digital cameras
Dosimeters
Dust collectors
Electronic counters
Flame ionization analyzers
Flow sensors
Flowmeters
Fume hoods or cupboards
Gas chromatographs
Gas detector tubes
Gas detectors
Goggles
Heat stress monitors
Heat tracing equipment
Inductively coupled plasma ICP spectrometers
Infrared imagers
Ion analyzers
Laboratory balances
Laboratory separators
Lux or light meter
Manometers
Medical tape measures
Moisture meters
Multi gas monitors
Multimeters
Personal computers
Photometer
Pocket calculator
Portable data input terminals
Power blowers
Protective gloves
Radiation detectors
Radon detectors
Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
Respirators
Respiratory monitoring kit accessories
Rotameters
Single gas monitors
Soil core sampling apparatus
Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter
Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
Spectrometers
Spirometers
Two way radios
Ultraviolet UV lamps
Vibration testers
Wet scrubbers

Analytical or scientific software
Data base user interface and query software
Document management software
Electronic mail software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Graphics or photo imaging software
Industrial control software
Internet browser software
Office suite software
Presentation software
Spreadsheet software
Video conferencing software
Word processing software

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