The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, oversees safe working conditions. It achieves this by training companies in safe practices; by setting required safety standards; and by enforcing those standards. OSHA inspectors check workplaces to ensure they adhere to safety rules. Inspectors' median annual pay, as of May 2013, was $67,960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Federal, State and Local Salaries

OSHA is a federal agency that partners with state governments to employ about 2,200 inspectors, or one for every 59,000 workers. The average safety inspector at the federal level earned $76,480 per year, as of May 2013, according to the BLS. On the state level, safety inspectors earned $58,370. Safety specialists working for local governments earned $61,890 per year, according to the BLS.

Private Industry Safety Specialists

Inspectors, who generally have at least a bachelor’s degree in science, engineering or occupational health and safety, may earn more in the private sector, according to the BLS. As of May 2013, the waste treatment industry paid its safety specialists an average annual salary of $76,940; chemical manufacturing averaged $75,760; and oil and gas averaged $88,870.