by Shane Henson — November 9, 2011—The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released its National Survey of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce to respond to growing concern and debate over the supply and demand for occupational safety and health professionals in the United States. The effort was guided by a multidisciplinary advisory task force of occupational safety and health professionals and practitioners.
The assessment found that based on current trends, future national demand for occupational safety and health (OS&H) services will significantly outstrip the number of professionals with the necessary training, education, and experience to provide such services. This shortage of OS&H professionals could have a negative impact on employees working in every industry.
Key findings of the report include:
- More than 25,000 OS&H professionals will be hired within the next half decade; they will fill an average of 5,000 job positions each year in that span of time.
- Seventy-one percent of the new OS&H professionals will be safety professionals.
- About 10 percent of safety professionals will retire within the coming year; retirement prospects for other positions are lower.
- The OS&H labor force is aging, especially among occupational physicians and occupational health nurses.
- Graduates of OS&H courses are generally competent, though employers would like the graduates to be trained in “non-core competencies” as well, among other OS&H fields.
- OS&H programs produced around 2,845 new OS&H professionals this year; a little under 13,000 will finish their studies in the next five years, a slight decline in enrollment.
- Seventy-one percent of the new OS&H professionals will be safety professionals.
