AI exposure: Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
Collect data on work environments for analysis by occupational health and safety specialists. Implement and conduct evaluation of programs designed to limit chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic risks to workers.
Reading this score
computedAt 20.7% of weighted task load, Occupational Health and Safety Technicians sits at the 37th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 52.1% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.
What holds the line here is verification cost. Across this occupation's 26 tasks it averages 2.58 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, checking the output costs more than producing it. Where an undetected error is expensive, dangerous or irreversible, the economics change. Someone has to verify the work, and verifying can cost as much as doing it. This is the friction most likely to fall as tools for checking improve.
The most exposed thing this job does is Maintain logbooks of daily activities, at 60.0%. The least is Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples, at 0.0%. A gap of 60.0% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within life, physical and social science occupations, this one is less exposed than the median of 36.3% across the group's 60 roles, with 53 scoring higher. Being in an exposed family does not make a particular job exposed, and the reverse holds too.
What would move this score. Of 26 tasks, 6 are currently banded exposed, 11 assisted and 9 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take robotics cheap and reliable enough to deploy at scale, not a better language model. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 1.91 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.51 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 1.23 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 2.12 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.91 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 2.58 | 0-3 |
Task by task
26 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain logbooks of daily activities, including areas visited or activities performed. | 60.0% | 40.0% | 0.0% | 3.28 | exposed |
| Confer with schools, state authorities, or community groups to develop health standards or programs. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.12 | exposed |
| Provide consultation to organizations or agencies on the workplace application of safety principles, practices, or techniques. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 4.00 | exposed |
| Recommend corrective measures to be applied based on results of environmental contaminant analyses. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.80 | exposed |
| Plan emergency response drills. | 40.0% | 35.0% | 25.0% | 3.62 | exposed |
| Maintain all required environmental records and documentation. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 4.00 | assisted |
| Prepare documents to be used in legal proceedings, testifying in such proceedings when necessary. | 35.0% | 40.0% | 25.0% | 3.36 | assisted |
| Conduct interviews to obtain information or evidence regarding communicable diseases or violations of health or sanitation regulations. | 31.2% | 31.2% | 37.5% | 3.08 | assisted |
| Verify availability or monitor use of safety equipment, such as hearing protection or respirators. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.81 | exposed |
| Educate the public about health issues or enforce health legislation to prevent disease, to promote health, or to help people understand health protection procedures and regulations. | 27.1% | 35.4% | 37.5% | 3.38 | assisted |
| Train workers in safety procedures related to green jobs, such as the use of fall protection devices or maintenance of proper ventilation during wind turbine construction. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 4.00 | assisted |
| Conduct worker studies to determine whether specific instances of disease or illness are job-related. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.63 | assisted |
| Collect data regarding potential hazards from new equipment or products linked to green practices. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.33 | assisted |
| Collect data related to ecological or human health risks at brownfield sites. | 20.0% | 30.0% | 50.0% | 3.11 | assisted |
| Prepare or review specifications or orders for the purchase of safety equipment, ensuring that proper features are present and that items conform to health and safety standards. | 13.3% | 36.7% | 50.0% | 3.80 | assisted |
| Examine credentials, licenses, or permits to ensure compliance with licensing requirements. | 10.0% | 40.0% | 50.0% | 3.50 | assisted |
| Review records or reports concerning laboratory results, staffing, floor plans, fire inspections, or sanitation to gather information for the development or enforcement of safety activities. | 10.0% | 40.0% | 50.0% | 3.43 | assisted |
| Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 4.00 | untouched |
| Test or balance newly installed HVAC systems to determine whether indoor air quality standards are met. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 3.25 | untouched |
| Perform tests to identify any potential hazards related to recycled products used at green building sites. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 2.78 | untouched |
| Examine practices at green building sites to determine whether adherence to green building standards alters risks to workers. | 6.7% | 18.3% | 75.0% | 2.60 | untouched |
| Evaluate situations or make determinations when a worker has refused to work on the grounds that danger or potential harm exists. | 5.0% | 20.0% | 75.0% | 4.24 | untouched |
| Inspect fire suppression systems or portable fire systems to ensure proper working order. | 5.0% | 20.0% | 75.0% | 3.88 | untouched |
| Help direct rescue or firefighting operations in the event of a fire or an explosion. | 2.6% | 14.1% | 83.3% | 3.73 | untouched |
| Supply, operate, or maintain personal protective equipment. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.05 | untouched |
| Prepare or calibrate equipment used to collect or analyze samples. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.79 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.
What this means in practice
Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.