Prevailing Wage for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Prevailing wage floors for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians are set by DOL across four experience levels, from entry-level Health and Safety Technicians through senior roles like Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or EHS Advisor. Whether your offer is for a Construction Safety Consultant position or an Advisory Industrial Hygienist role, the floor varies significantly by worksite city.
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Entry-level technicians with limited hands-on experience, typically recent graduates or those transitioning into occupational health and safety from a related field. Work is closely supervised, with assignments focused on routine data collection and basic program support.
Technicians with established experience who conduct evaluations and implement safety programs with moderate supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, reflecting the qualified practitioner performing standard environmental and hazard assessments.
Experienced practitioners who independently design and oversee evaluation programs, often holding certifications such as the CIH. They handle complex chemical, biological, or ergonomic risk assessments with minimal supervision and may guide junior staff.
Fully competent senior professionals in lead or advisory roles, setting safety program strategy across a site or organization. Often hold advanced certifications, oversee compliance across multiple hazard categories, and serve as the primary technical authority.
Prevailing Wage for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians 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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Check your certification against the level filed
Employers filing for a Certified Industrial Hygienist or CIH-eligible candidate often file at Level 3 or higher. If your LCA shows Level 1 or 2 but your offer requires a CIH credential, the wage level may understate your position's actual scope.
Watch the worksite city on the LCA
Occupational Health and Safety Technicians frequently work across multiple client sites or construction locations. The LCA must list the primary worksite city, not the employer's headquarters, and wages in oil-and-gas hubs like Midland, TX differ sharply from coastal metros.
Distinguish in-house from consulting roles before comparing wages
Industrial hygiene consultants and in-house EHS Advisors both fall under SOC 19-5012, but consulting firms sometimes file at lower levels for field technicians. Verify the level on the certified LCA matches your actual duties and independence on the job.
Find employers who sponsor safety technician roles on Migrate Mate
Migrate Mate shows which companies have historical H-1B and green card sponsorship records for occupational health and safety positions, so you can target employers who have sponsored EHS Advisors or industrial hygienists before rather than starting from scratch.
Jobs for Occupational Health and Safety Technicians are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-5012.00 alongside Occupational Health and Safety Technicians, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Advisory Industrial Hygienist Prevailing Wage
Advisory Industrial Hygienist Prevailing Wage
Advisory Industrial Hygienist positions fall under SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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.
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) Prevailing Wage
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Construction Safety Consultant Prevailing Wage
Construction Safety Consultant Prevailing Wage
Construction Safety Consultant is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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.
EHS Advisor (Environmental, Health, and Safety Advisor) Prevailing Wage
EHS Advisor (Environmental, Health, and Safety Advisor) Prevailing Wage
EHS Advisor (Environmental, Health, and Safety Advisor) positions fall under SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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.
Health and Safety Technician (Health and Safety Tech) Prevailing Wage
Health and Safety Technician (Health and Safety Tech) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Health and Safety Technician (Health and Safety Tech) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Industrial Hygiene Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygiene Consultant Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygiene Consultant is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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 Hygienist Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygienist Prevailing Wage
Industrial Hygienist positions fall under SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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.
Safety Specialist Prevailing Wage
Safety Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Safety Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Safety Technician (Safety Tech) Prevailing Wage
Safety Technician (Safety Tech) Prevailing Wage
Safety Technician (Safety Tech) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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 Trainer Prevailing Wage
Safety Trainer Prevailing Wage
Safety Trainer positions fall under SOC 19-5012.00 (Occupational Health and Safety Technicians). 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 Technicians?
DOL uses wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, organized by SOC code. For SOC 19-5012, DOL calculates four wage levels based on experience, complexity, and supervision. Employers certify an LCA through OFLC before sponsoring a visa, attesting that the offered wage meets or exceeds the prevailing wage for the worksite location and experience level.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 covers entry-level technicians with routine, supervised work. Level 2 reflects qualified practitioners doing standard assessments independently. Level 3 applies to experienced professionals handling complex hazard evaluations, often with certifications like the CIH. Level 4 covers fully competent senior or lead roles. Your level should match the actual duties, required credentials, and supervision structure described in your job offer, not just your years of experience.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much between cities?
DOL calculates prevailing wages from regional OES survey data, so local labor market conditions drive the floor in each metro. Dense industrial corridors, petrochemical hubs, and high-cost metros produce higher floors than rural or lower-density markets. Critically, the LCA must list the actual worksite location, not the employer's office address, so a field-based role in a refinery town carries a different floor than the same title at a corporate headquarters elsewhere.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA with an offered wage below the DOL prevailing wage floor for the worksite and level. OFLC will not approve the LCA, and without a certified LCA the H-1B or PERM process cannot proceed. If an offer is close to the floor, employers may either increase the offered wage or request a wage determination review through OFLC to confirm the correct level applies.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for my specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool on the DOL website to look up SOC 19-5012 wages by metro area and experience level. Enter your worksite city and the four-level wage table for that location will appear. You can also cross-reference O*NET for the occupation profile. To find employers who have sponsored this role before, Migrate Mate filters by visa type and role so you can see actual sponsoring companies by location.
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