Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
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