Occupational Safety and Health refers to the practice of observing, evaluating, and analyzing working environments to ensure that they are safe for employees. Every workplace, whether a factory, a kitchen, or a shop, has the potential for accidents to occur. The job of the Occupational Safety and Health specialist is to recognize, anticipate, and identify potential hazards so that the employer may make appropriate changes before accidents happen.

Potential workplace hazards may include flaws in the design of a building that could cause physical injury to employees, biological or chemical hazards due to substandard equipment, or on-the-job stress due to overworking and poor working conditions.

The mission of technicians in this line of work is to prevent harm to property, workers, the public, and the environment. The promotion of occupational health and safety is a hallmark of a society that names the security of the individual as a top priority.