Occupational Health and Safety Internships: Requirements and Opportunities
Occupational health and safety internships offer invaluable practical experience for students pursuing careers in this vital field. These internships provide opportunities to apply academic knowledge, develop essential skills, and gain exposure to real-world workplace environments. This article explores the requirements for occupational health and safety internships, the diverse roles and responsibilities involved, and the potential career paths they can lead to.
What Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Do
Occupational health and safety specialists play a crucial role in ensuring safe and healthy working conditions. They inspect workplaces to ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations. Their work includes identifying potential hazards, designing and implementing programs to prevent worker injury, and conducting training sessions. By boosting productivity and reducing costs associated with workplace incidents, these specialists contribute significantly to the overall efficiency and well-being of organizations.
Specialists examine worksites for environmental or physical factors that could harm employee health, safety, comfort, or performance. They then find ways to improve potential risk factors. In the event of a workplace safety incident, specialists and technicians investigate its cause. They then analyze data from the incident, such as the number of people impacted, and look for trends in occurrence.
Occupational health and safety technicians assist specialists by collecting data on work environments and implementing the worksite improvements that specialists plan. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians may develop and conduct employee training programs.
Where Occupational Health and Safety Professionals Work
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians work in a variety of indoor or outdoor settings, such as offices and factories or construction sites. Their jobs may involve considerable travel and fieldwork. They may be exposed to strenuous, dangerous, or stressful conditions. Specialists use gloves, helmets, respirators, and other personal protective and safety equipment to minimize the risk of illness and injury.
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These professionals find employment in diverse environments, including offices, factories, and mines. The federal government employs specialists in agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Beyond government roles, they are also employed in management, scientific and technical consulting services, education services, hospitals, and manufacturing industries. Due to the nature of their work, they may encounter strenuous, dangerous, or stressful conditions, necessitating the use of personal protective equipment like gloves, helmets, and respirators.
Educational Requirements and Career Path
A bachelor’s degree in occupational health and safety or a related field is typically required for occupational health and safety specialists. Related fields include engineering, biology, or chemistry. Some positions may require a master’s degree in fields like industrial hygiene or public health. Graduation from an accredited educational program is necessary for occupational health and safety specialists to be eligible for most certification examinations.
Technicians typically need at least a high school diploma to enter the occupation, and they receive training on the job. High school students interested in this occupation should take classes in chemistry, biology, and physics. Some technicians earn an associate’s degree or certificate from a community college or university.
Key Skills and Qualities
Several key skills and qualities are essential for success in this field. Communication skills are vital for delivering safety trainings and instructions to employees and managers. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be meticulous when checking work environments. Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and may have to squat or kneel. These specialists and technicians need problem-solving skills and technology skills.
Licensure and Certification
New York State does not license occupational health and safety specialists. While certification is voluntary, many employers encourage it or require it as a condition of employment. Certification is available through various national organizations. Obtaining certification typically requires graduating from an accredited educational program, completing work experience, and passing an examination. Maintaining certification usually requires completing a specified number of hours of continuing education.
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Financial Aspects
The median annual wage for occupational health and safety specialists was $83,910 in May 2024. The median annual wage for occupational health and safety technicians was $58,440 in May 2024. Prosple estimated the salary range of this position to be between US$88,551 - US$115,747. Financial support can come from various federal, state, and private sources.
Job Outlook and Demand
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists are expected to grow statewide by 10% between 2022 and 2032, with slightly over 400 average annual openings. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. In recent years, employers have emphasized worker health, safety, and wellness.
Internship Experience
As an Occupational Health & Safety Intern, you will gain practical, applicable experience by assisting in strategic and tactical work including performing root cause investigations, risk assessments, site GEMBAs, ergonomic reviews, job hazard analyses, and developing and writing standards, training, safety alerts, and safe work instructions.
Importance of Training
Occupational Health and Safety training aims at improving the capability, capacity, and performance of staff, leading to safe and health-oriented behavior, often linked directly to specific tasks.
Work-Life Balance
The Work-Life Balance at Nike is rated a C putting it in the Bottom 45% of similar size companies on Comparably. 71% of Nike employees are satisfied with their work-life balance.
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Diversity and Inclusion
Nike believes in the inspirational power of sports to break down barriers, overcome differences and bring people together. To serve every athlete across the hundreds of countries where the business needs teams that truly reflect the diversity of the consumers. At Nike, the goal is to provide a premium, inclusive, compelling, and authentic candidate experience. Nike believes in the process allows you to be at your best - and to do that, you need to understand how the hiring process works. Thank you for your interest.
Yale University’s Approach
The Office of Environmental Health and Safety is a resource of highly trained safety professionals who serve the Yale community. We are dedicated to reducing injuries, accidents and environmental impact, and ensuring compliance. We achieve this by providing high-quality training, comprehensive workplace evaluation, emergency response, hazardous materials management from acquisition to disposal, and by managing regulatory information. The following student internship opportunities have been created to empower and inspire the next generation of talent by offering hands-on experience and exposure to a diverse range of viable professions.
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