Prevailing Wage for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
Prevailing wage for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists under SOC 19-5011 is set by DOL using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys. Whether your offer letter names you an EHS Officer, an Industrial Hygienist, or a Chemical Hygiene Officer, the same four experience levels apply, and the floor shifts meaningfully from city to city.
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Entry-level specialists with limited independent judgment, typically working under direct supervision. Positions usually require a bachelor's degree in occupational health, safety, or a related field but fewer than two years of hands-on compliance or industrial hygiene experience.
Qualified practitioners applying standard safety and health procedures with moderate supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, covering roles that require solid field experience but not lead or program-management responsibilities.
Experienced specialists who design or oversee safety programs, lead incident investigations, or manage regulatory compliance functions independently. These positions typically require five or more years of progressively responsible occupational health and safety work.
Fully competent senior professionals, such as Corporate EHS Directors or Principal Industrial Hygienists, who set organization-wide policy, mentor junior staff, and serve as the authoritative technical resource for complex hazard assessment and regulatory strategy.
Prevailing Wage for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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Watch for title mismatches under adjacent SOC codes
Employers sometimes file LCAs for Industrial Hygienists or EHS Officers under Environmental Scientists (SOC 19-2041) or Safety Managers (SOC 11-9199), each carrying a different prevailing wage floor. Confirm the certified SOC on the LCA matches 19-5011 before accepting an offer.
Factor in contract and government-agency hiring patterns
Occupational health and safety roles at federal contractors, Department of Energy sites, and petrochemical facilities often carry site-specific wage premiums that push offers well above the L2 floor. Comparing the posted salary against the worksite metro wage, not the national median, reveals whether an offer is genuinely competitive.
Understand why California metros set the highest floors
San Jose and San Francisco report the highest prevailing wages for this occupation, driven by Cal/OSHA compliance demand and concentrated semiconductor and biotech employers. If your worksite is in those metros, the L1 floor alone exceeds the national L3 wage, so level placement becomes especially consequential.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with sponsorship history
Occupational health and safety sponsorships are concentrated in manufacturing, energy, and government contracting firms. Migrate Mate shows which employers have sponsored this role before, letting you target companies with proven H-1B or green card filing history rather than negotiating sponsorship from scratch.
Jobs for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-5011.00 alongside Occupational Health and Safety Specialists, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Chemical Hygiene Officer Prevailing Wage
Chemical Hygiene Officer Prevailing Wage
Chemical Hygiene Officer positions fall under SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer) Prevailing Wage
EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a EHS Officer (Environmental Health and Safety Officer) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Health and Safety Analyst Prevailing Wage
Health and Safety Analyst Prevailing Wage
Health and Safety Analyst is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Industrial Hygiene Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygiene Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygiene Consultant positions fall under SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Industrial Hygienist Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygienist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Industrial Hygienist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Industrial Hygienist Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygienist Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygienist Consultant is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant) Prevailing Wage
OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant) Prevailing Wage
OHS Consultant (Occupational Health and Safety Consultant) positions fall under SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Risk Control Consultant Prevailing Wage
Risk Control Consultant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Risk Control Consultant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Safety Consultant Prevailing Wage
Safety Consultant Prevailing Wage
Safety Consultant is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Safety Specialist Prevailing Wage
Safety Specialist Prevailing Wage
Safety Specialist positions fall under SOC 19-5011.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Specialists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For SOC 19-5011, OFLC maps that regional wage data to four experience levels: Entry, Qualified, Experienced, and Fully Competent. Employers filing an LCA must offer at least the DOL-published wage for the level that matches the actual job duties and supervision structure.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 covers entry positions under close supervision with limited independent judgment. Level 2 applies to qualified practitioners using established procedures with moderate oversight, and it is the most frequently filed level for this occupation. Level 3 covers experienced specialists who work independently and lead programs. Level 4 applies to senior or principal professionals who set policy. The employer's LCA, which must be publicly available in the OFLC disclosure database, states the certified level.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role vary so much between cities?
OFLC derives wages from regional BLS surveys, so each metropolitan area has its own wage floor reflecting local labor market conditions. The LCA rules require employers to use the wage for the specific worksite city, not a national or company average. Dense employer markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area and Bridgeport, Connecticut push floors significantly higher than rural areas or Puerto Rico metros. A role that clears the floor in one city may fall short in another.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
If the offered salary falls below the DOL-certified prevailing wage, USCIS can deny the H-1B petition or DOL can decertify the LCA. For green card PERM applications, a wage below the prevailing wage level means the application will not be approved. The employer is required by law to pay at least the prevailing wage from the start of employment. Accepting a below-floor offer creates compliance risk for both the employer and your visa status.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Occupational Health and Safety Specialists in a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you enter SOC 19-5011 and a metropolitan area to see the current four-level wage table for that worksite. Cross-check by downloading OFLC's quarterly LCA disclosure data to see what wages employers have recently certified for this occupation in that region. Migrate Mate also filters sponsored job listings for this role by location, letting you see which employers are actively hiring and have a history of sponsoring occupational health and safety professionals.
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