What Do OHS Specialists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

OHS Specialists

OHS 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. Includes environmental protection officers.

Salary
$78110
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job Description

Job Description

OHS 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. Includes environmental protection officers. They also recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.

Other tasks include:

  • 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.
  • Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment.
  • Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
  • Coordinate “right-to-know” programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances.

We asked OHS Specialists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

73%

How meaningful is this job

73%


73% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 73% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, OHS Specialists inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations. They recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.

  • Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance.
  • Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans.
  • Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees.
  • Perform laboratory analyses or physical inspections of samples to detect disease or to assess purity or cleanliness.
  • Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures.

We asked some OHS Specialists a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 73% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 41% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 79% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 16% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 0% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 33% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, OHS Specialists also investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance. They may also conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment.

On a weekly to monthly basis, OHS Specialists Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards. They might also Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations.

In addition, they Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials.

To some OHS Specialists, it is also their responsibility to Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations.


Working life

Working hours

More than 40 hours per week

Working schedule

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Do OHS Specialists work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
45%


Once a week
41%


Do OHS Specialists work outdoors?

Once a month
50%


Once a week
27%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Thinkers and The Organizers

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about OHS Specialists

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Related to Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Job Description

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists job description, what do Occupational Health and Safety Specialists do, typical day for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, what is it like to work as an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, how many hours do Occupational Health and Safety Specialists work, day to day work of an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/occupational-health-and-safety-specialists.htm
http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/occupational-health-and-safety-technicians.htm


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