Occupational health and safety technicians work with occupational health and safety specialists to help prevent harm to workers, property, the environment, and the general public. For example, they might help design safe work spaces, inspect machines, or test air quality. In addition to making workers safer, technicians work with specialists to increase worker productivity by reducing absenteeism and equipment downtime, and to save money by lowering insurance premiums and workers' compensation payments, and preventing government fines. Some technicians work for governments conducting safety inspections and imposing fines.
Occupational health and safety technicians take measurements and collect workplace data either for routine inspection or as directed by a specialist. Technicians often focus on testing air, water, machines, and other elements of the work environment. They collect data that occupational health and safety specialists then analyze. Usually working under the supervision of specialists, they also help to implement and evaluate safety programs.
To measure hazards, such as noise or radiation, occupational health and safety technicians prepare and calibrate scientific equipment. They must properly collect and handle samples of dust, gases, vapors, and other potentially toxic materials to ensure personal safety and accurate test results.
To ensure that machinery and equipment complies with appropriate safety regulations, occupational health and safety technicians may examine and test machinery and equipment, such as lifting devices, machine guards, or scaffolding. They may check that personal protective equipment, such as masks, respirators, protective eyewear, or hardhats, is being used according to regulations. They also check that hazardous materials are stored correctly. They test and identify work areas for potential accident and health hazards, such as toxic vapors, mold, mildew, and explosive gas-air mixtures and help implement appropriate control measures, such as adjustments to ventilation systems. Their inspection of the workplace might involve talking with workers and observing their work, as well as inspecting elements in their work environment, such as lighting, tools, and equipment.
The responsibilities of occupational health and safety technicians vary by industry, workplace, and types of hazards affecting employees. Mine examiners, for example, are technicians who inspect mines for proper air flow and health hazards such as the buildup of methane or other noxious gases. Environmental protection technicians evaluate and coordinate the storage and handling of hazardous waste, the cleanup of contaminated soil or water, or other activities that affect the environment. Health physics technicians work in places that use radiation and radioactive material, helping to protect people and the environment from hazardous radiation exposure. Industrial hygiene technicians examine the workplace for health hazards, such as exposure to lead, asbestos, pesticides, or communicable diseases.
Occupational health and safety technicians work in a variety of settings from offices and factories to mines. Their jobs often involve considerable fieldwork, and some require frequent travel.
Occupational health and safety technicians may be exposed to many of the same strenuous, dangerous, or stressful conditions faced by industrial employees. They may find themselves in an adversarial role if an organization disagrees with their recommendations. Most technicians work the typical 40 hour week. Some occupational health and safety technicians may be required to work overtime, and often irregular, hours.
| 1. | Maintain all required records and documentation. |
| 2. | Supply, operate, and maintain personal protective equipment. |
| 3. | Verify that safety equipment such as hearing protection and respirators is available to employees, and monitor their use of such equipment to ensure proper fit and use. |
| 4. | Prepare and calibrate equipment used to collect and analyze samples. |
| 5. | Evaluate situations where a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists, and determine how such situations should be handled. |
| 6. | Test workplaces for environmental hazards such as exposure to radiation, chemical and biological hazards, and excessive noise. |
| 7. | Prepare and review specifications and orders for the purchase of safety equipment, ensuring that proper features are present and that items conform to health and safety standards. |
| 8. | Report the results of environmental contaminant analyses, and recommend corrective measures to be applied. |
| 9. | Review physicians' reports, and conduct worker studies in order to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related. |
| 10. | Examine credentials, licenses, or permits to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. |
| 11. | Conduct fire drills, and inspect fire suppression systems and portable fire systems to ensure that they are in working order. |
| 12. | Educate the public about health issues, and enforce health legislation in order to prevent disease, to promote health, and to help people understand health protection procedures and regulations. |
| 13. | Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the application of safety principles, practices, and techniques in the workplace. |
| 14. | Conduct interviews to obtain information and evidence regarding communicable diseases or violations of health and sanitation regulations. |
| 15. | Review records and reports concerning laboratory results, staffing, floor plans, fire inspections, and sanitation in order to gather information for the development and enforcement of safety activities. |
| 16. | Prepare documents to be used in legal proceedings, testifying in such proceedings when necessary. |
| 17. | Plan emergency response drills. |
| 18. | Maintain logbooks of daily activities, including areas visited and activities performed. |
| 19. | Help direct rescue and firefighting operations in the event of a fire or an explosion. |
| 20. | Confer with school and state authorities and community groups to develop health standards and programs. |
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