Occupational Health and Safety Specialist resume skills and keywords
In 164 Occupational Health and Safety Specialist job postings from 105 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Communication (79 %), OSHA (62 %), Leadership (54 %), Incident Investigation (46 %) and CSP (42 %). Of the top 40 skills, 30 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 10 are soft skills.
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Top 40 skills in Occupational Health and Safety Specialist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 79 % | Soft skill |
| OSHA | 62 % | Certification |
| Leadership | 54 % | Soft skill |
| Incident Investigation | 46 % | Hard skill |
| CSP | 42 % | Certification |
| Safety Training | 38 % | Hard skill |
| Continuous improvement | 34 % | Hard skill |
| Emergency response | 34 % | Hard skill |
| Risk assessment | 31 % | Hard skill |
| PPE | 30 % | Hard skill |
| Orientation | 27 % | Hard skill |
| Root cause analysis | 26 % | Hard skill |
| Microsoft Office | 25 % | Tool |
| Problem Solving | 25 % | Soft skill |
| Regulatory compliance | 25 % | Hard skill |
| Accountability | 24 % | Soft skill |
| CHST | 23 % | Certification |
| Microsoft Excel | 23 % | Tool |
| Driver license | 22 % | Certification |
| OSHA 30 | 22 % | Certification |
| Coaching | 22 % | Soft skill |
| Environmental Science | 20 % | Hard skill |
| Microsoft Word | 20 % | Tool |
| Industrial Hygiene | 20 % | Hard skill |
| Lockout/tagout | 19 % | Hard skill |
| Collaboration | 18 % | Soft skill |
| Safety Audits | 17 % | Hard skill |
| Risk management | 17 % | Hard skill |
| First Aid | 16 % | Certification |
| Fall protection | 16 % | Hard skill |
| Attention to detail | 16 % | Soft skill |
| Bilingual | 15 % | Soft skill |
| Mentoring | 15 % | Soft skill |
| Hazard Analysis | 14 % | Hard skill |
| Organizational skills | 12 % | Soft skill |
| Safety protocols | 12 % | Hard skill |
| CIH | 12 % | Certification |
| Safety Management | 12 % | Hard skill |
| Workplace safety | 12 % | Hard skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | 12 % | Tool |
Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications
Hard skills (19)
- Incident Investigation 46 %
- Safety Training 38 %
- Continuous improvement 34 %
- Emergency response 34 %
- Risk assessment 31 %
- PPE 30 %
- Orientation 27 %
- Root cause analysis 26 %
- Regulatory compliance 25 %
- Environmental Science 20 %
- Industrial Hygiene 20 %
- Lockout/tagout 19 %
- Safety Audits 17 %
- Risk management 17 %
- Fall protection 16 %
- Hazard Analysis 14 %
- Safety protocols 12 %
- Safety Management 12 %
- Workplace safety 12 %
Soft skills (10)
- Communication 79 %
- Leadership 54 %
- Problem Solving 25 %
- Accountability 24 %
- Coaching 22 %
- Collaboration 18 %
- Attention to detail 16 %
- Bilingual 15 %
- Mentoring 15 %
- Organizational skills 12 %
Tools and software (4)
- Microsoft Office 25 %
- Microsoft Excel 23 %
- Microsoft Word 20 %
- Microsoft Outlook 12 %
Certifications and licenses (7)
Keyword phrases recruiters use
Multi-word phrases that recur across these occupational health and safety specialist postings, with the share of postings that use each one.
How to use this on your resume
Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.
Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.
Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist resume example. Then prepare for the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist interview questions that test them.
Build a occupational health and safety specialist resume with these skills
Start in the editor, tailor your bullets to the job you want and download an ATS-friendly resume.