Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
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Job description
These individuals identify and prevent occupational health and safety risks. To do so, they collect and analyze scientific and technical data on work environments. They are self-employed or work for:
- Federal and provincial governments
- Private and public companies of all types
- Educational institutions
- Consulting firms
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Hazardous chemical
- Biological agents
- Radiation
Main tasks
- Develop content pertaining to health and security for projects, fact sheets, publications, and online courses.
- Conduct research by analyzing various documents.
- Develop intervention and occupational hygiene programs.
- Ensure compliance with relevant occupational health and safety laws.
- Maintain the expertise required according to applicable laws.
- Facilitate the disability claims process.
- Draft reports.
- Provide training on safe work practices.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $26.00
- Median
- $40.51
- Maximum
- $59.29
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
All of Québec
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
All of Québec
Gender distribution
All of Québec
- 39.1% Female
- 60.9% Male
- 39.1% Female
- 60.9% Male
Job types
All of Québec
- Full time
- Part time
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- None
All of Québec
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
-
NAICS 9120% of jobs
-
NAICS 5416, 541711% of jobs
-
NAICS 2310% of jobs
-
NAICS 621, 622, 6237% of jobs
-
NAICS 225% of jobs
-
Others47% of jobs
All of Québec
-
NAICS 9120% of jobs
-
NAICS 5416, 541711% of jobs
-
NAICS 2310% of jobs
-
NAICS 621, 622, 6237% of jobs
-
NAICS 225% of jobs
-
Others47% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
College
DCS in environnement, hygiène et sécurité au travail
Placement rate: 80%
12% of graduates pursue further studies
University
Industrial relations
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 87%
10.5% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 97.4%
2.6% of graduates pursue further studies
Sometimes required
- Certification from the Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists may be required.
- Certification from the Conseil d'accréditation en hygiène industrielle (Accreditation Board of Industrial Hygienists) may be required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Information processing
- Active listening
- Reading comprehension
- Critical thought
- Oral expression
- Active learning
- Result evaluation
- Written expression
- Solving complex problems
- Quality control analysis
- Teaching
- Judgment and decision-making
- Monitoring operations
- Social perception
- Negotiation
- Service oriented
- System analysis
- Systems evaluation
- Coordination
- Learning strategies
- Time management
- Mathematics
Abilities
- Awareness of issues
- Inductive reasoning
- Written comprehension
- Oral comprehension
- Deductive reasoning
- Verbal skills
- Near vision
- Written expression
- Information organization
- Speech clarity
- Speech recognition
- Perception speed
- Processing flexibility
- Classification
- Distance vision
- Colour perception and distinction
- Information processing speed
- Mathematical reasoning
- Selective attention
- Basic numeracy
- Idea generation
- Visualization
Knowledge and attributes
- Critical thinking
- Focussed on results
- Sense of responsibility
- Versatility
- Rigour
- Respect standards and regulations
- Capacity for synthesis
- Respect others
- Commitment to quality
- Knowledge of laws and policies
Interests
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Work in an office
- Carry out research
- Self-employment
- Assist and advise
- Collect, verify, sort, and classify data or information
- Work outdoors
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
Official name of the NOC 22232
Occupational health and safety specialists
Job titles
- Occupational hygiene technician
- Health and safety technician
- Occupational safety specialist
- Occupational safety consultant
- Occupational health and safety inspector
- Prevention officer - occupational health and safety
- Occupational health officer
- Health and safety officer
- Occupational health and safety officer
- Safety officer
- Occupational safety officer
- Industrial safety officer - occupational health and safety
- Labour affairs officer - occupational health and safety
- Labour standards officer
- Industrial health officer
- Occupational health and safety (ohs) consultant
- Radiation monitor
- Environmental health and safety coordinator - workplace
- Occupational health and safety coordinator
- Industrial hygiene inspector
- Occupational health inspector
- Health and safety inspector
- Occupational safety inspector
- Mine safety inspector
- Safety practitioner
- Health officers supervisor
- Occupational health and safety supervisor
- Safety supervisor - occupational health and safety
- Occupational health supervisor
- Field supervisor - occupational health and safety
- Occupational hygienist technologist
- Health and safety technologist
- Radiation surveyor
Skill type
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026