AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-5011.00
Will AI replace Occupational Health and Safety Specialists?
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists: AI can already handle 13 of 22 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 22 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, from most to least exposed. 13 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write reports. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Prepare hazardous, radioactive, or mixed waste samples for transportation or storage by treating, compacting, packaging, and labeling them. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Investigate accidents to identify causes or to determine how such accidents might be prevented in the future. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collaborate with engineers or physicians to institute control or remedial measures for hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or equipment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Collect samples of dust, gases, vapors, or other potentially toxic materials for analysis. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Investigate the adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, or other conditions that could affect employee health, comfort, or performance. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Analyze incident data to identify trends in injuries, illnesses, accidents, or other hazards. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Conduct audits at hazardous waste sites or industrial sites or participate in hazardous waste site investigations. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Collect samples of hazardous materials or arrange for sample collection. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Inspect or evaluate workplace environments, equipment, or practices to ensure compliance with safety standards and government regulations. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Perform laboratory analyses or physical inspections of samples to detect disease or to assess purity or cleanliness. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Recommend measures to help protect workers from potentially hazardous work methods, processes, or materials. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop or maintain hygiene programs, such as noise surveys, continuous atmosphere monitoring, ventilation surveys, or asbestos management plans. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Provide new-employee health and safety orientations and develop materials for these presentations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain or update emergency response plans or procedures. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Coordinate "right-to-know" programs regarding hazardous chemicals or other substances. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Develop or maintain medical monitoring programs for employees. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Conduct safety training or education programs and demonstrate the use of safety equipment. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Investigate health-related complaints and inspect facilities to ensure that they comply with public health legislation and regulations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect specified areas to ensure the presence of fire prevention equipment, safety equipment, or first-aid supplies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain inventories of hazardous materials or hazardous wastes, using waste tracking systems to ensure that materials are handled properly. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 22 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 21 of 22. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 81% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 140,610
- Median annual wage
- $90,150
- Middle half of earners
- $69,560 to $111,690
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +12.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Occupational Health and Safety Technicians 85% skill overlap, about 5 months to move Exposure38
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors 83% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure60
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health 77% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure54
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure63
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure51
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and AI
Will AI replace Occupational Health and Safety Specialists?
AI already handles 13 of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 60 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +12.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Occupational Health and Safety Specialists?
60 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 22 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 21 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Occupational Health and Safety Specialists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Write reports; Prepare hazardous, radioactive, or mixed waste samples for transportation or storage by treating, compacting, packaging, and labeling them; Order suspension of activities that pose threats to workers' health or safety. They are three of the 13 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 81% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, and what do they earn?
140,610 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $90,150 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +12.5% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Occupational Health and Safety Specialists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/occupational-health-and-safety-specialists
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