Health and safety officer
Also called occupational hygienist, public health inspector, health and safety advisor
Health and safety officers execute plans for the improvement of work environments and cultures. They assess risks and interview employees to ensure the work environment is compliant with health and safety rules, as well as ensuring the interaction within the workplace occurs in a positive and productive manner. If employed in a healthcare facility the health and safety officer has to investigate infections spreading across a facility and advice all employees how to combat and prevent infections. Furthermore health physics is applied at facilities where people are exposed to ionizing radiation such as nuclear power plants and research institutions.
What you'd do
Environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals · ILO- Developing, implementing and reviewing programmes and policies to minimize potential environmental and occupational risks to health and safety
- Preparing and implementing plans and strategies for the safe, economic and suitable disposal of commercial, industrial, medical and household wastes
- Implementing prevention programmes and strategies for communicable diseases, food safety, waste water treatment and disposal systems, recreation and domestic water quality, contaminated and hazardous substances
- Identifying, reporting and documenting hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in the environment and workplace and advising on compliance with relevant law and regulations
- Developing, implementing and monitoring programmes to minimize workplace and environmental pollution involving chemical, physical and biological hazards
- Advising on methods to prevent, eliminate, control or reduce the exposure of workers, students, the public and the environment to radiological and other hazards
- Promoting ergonomic principles within the workplace such as matching furniture, equipment and work activities to the needs of employees
- Providing education, information, training and advice to persons at all levels on aspects of occupational hygiene and environmental health
- Recording and investigating injuries and equipment damage, and reporting safety performance
- Coordinating arrangements for the compensation, rehabilitation and return to work of injured workers
- Indoors and outdoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects9 EU countries are short of environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals now, and many jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Well above averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,800 a month (Bulgaria) to €9,700 (Luxembourg), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among professionals in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually a degreeA degree in occupational health and safety is the usual route.
819 institutions in the EU offer services bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.28 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 10 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).