Employment
Occupational
health and safety specialists and technicians hold about 10,900 jobs in
the United States. While the majority of jobs were spread throughout the
private sector, about 22 percent of technicians worked for government
agencies.
Most private companies
either employ their own occupational health and safety workers or
contract with them. Most contract work is done through consulting
companies.
In addition to working
for governments, occupational health and safety technicians were
employed in manufacturing firms; public and private hospitals;
educational services; scientific and technical consulting services;
administrative and support services; and support activity for mining.
Within the Federal
Government, most jobs are as Occupational Safety and Health
Administration inspectors, who enforce U.S. Department of Labor
regulations and impose fines. Within the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
hires occupational health and safety specialists to offer companies help
in evaluating safety without the risk of fines. Most large government
agencies also employ occupational health and safety specialists and
technicians who work to protect agency employees.
Most
private companies either employ their own occupational health and safety
workers or contract with them. Most contract work is done through
consulting companies, but some specialists and technicians are
self-employed.
In addition to working
for governments, occupational health and safety specialists and
technicians were employed in manufacturing firms; private general
medical and surgical hospitals; private colleges, universities, and
professional schools; scientific and technical consulting services;
research and development in the physical, engineering, and life
sciences; and electric power generation, transmission, and distribution.
Insurance companies and technical consulting services also often
employed specialists, whereas employment services and testing
laboratories often employed technicians.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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