How to hire a certified industrial hygienist

How to hire a certified industrial hygienist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step certified industrial hygienist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a certified industrial hygienist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new certified industrial hygienist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a certified industrial hygienist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a certified industrial hygienist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect certified industrial hygienist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of certified industrial hygienist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Certified Industrial Hygienist	Description	Hourly rate
   Certified Industrial Hygienist	Occupational health and safety specialists analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment... Show more	$22-67
   Health & Safety Officer	A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution... Show more	$17-40
   Plant Safety Leader	Plant Safety Leaders are responsible for ensuring the organization's facility adheres to all safety policies and regulations. Their duties include advising employees on safety work culture, develop safe work practices programs, and make sure projects' operations fulfill legal safety requirements... Show more	$21-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CIH
   • OSHA
   • Environmental Health
   • EHS
   • Occupational Health
   • Asbestos
   • IH
   • Risk Assessments
   • Air Quality
   • Safety Program
   • Noise Surveys
   • Ventilation
   • IAQ
   • Hygiene Program

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage construction and demolition nationwide.
   • Conduct facilities inspections, hazard assessments, noise surveys, environmental sampling, IAQ investigations, asbestos inspections and training.
   • Project manager on demolition specification for asbestos containing materials and lead-base paint in schools.
   • Develop spreadsheet to enable tracking of all IH sampling and monitoring results.
   • Perform entries into airborne radiation, high radiation and contamination areas while performing IH monitoring.
   • Prepare EHS plans, JSAs, risk registers, supervise work and prepare reports of various kinds.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your certified industrial hygienist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A certified industrial hygienist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, certified industrial hygienists' average salary in hawaii is 49% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level certified industrial hygienists 67% less than senior-level certified industrial hygienists.
   • Certifications. A certified industrial hygienist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a certified industrial hygienist's salary.

   Average certified industrial hygienist salary

   $80,872yearly

   $38.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level certified industrial hygienist salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a certified industrial hygienist job description

   A job description for a certified industrial hygienist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a certified industrial hygienist job description:

   Certified industrial hygienist job description example

   The NISC IV program within the Leidos Civil group is seeking an Environmental, Occupational Safety, and Health Professional/CIH.
   
   In this role you will provide support to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Central Service Area (CSA) Technical Support Center (TSC) Environmental Occupational Safety and Health Program.
   
   In this position, you will be assisting in the development, facilitation and implementation of safety and occupational health programs with the objective to proactively reduce risks and ensure compliance with regulations and liability management.
   
   Specific duties for the position include: Development of FAA policy, guidance and directives on subjects related to FAA and occupational safety, health, and environmental compliance. Identification and assessment of hazardous workplace conditions.
   
   Perform/lead industrial hygiene and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) surveys and audits. Assist the FAA with ensuring that workplace conditions comply with applicable federal and state requirements.
   
   Serve as subject matter expert (SME) on occupational safety and health subject areas including asbestos management, climbing and fall protection, confined space entry, and electrical safety.
   Assist in the design of appropriate solutions to address identified safety and environmental risks.
   
   Perform industrial hygiene related sampling at FAA facilities.
   
   Perform/lead industrial hygiene and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) surveys and audits
   
   Interact with regulatory agencies (e.g. OSHA, local and state health & environmental departments)
   
   Typical education and experience:
   
   BS degree 8 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 6 years of prior relevant experience. May possess a Doctorate in technical domain.
   
   Basic qualifications:
   
   + Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification
   
   + Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) certification
   
   + Education and experience in Industrial hygiene field (CIH preferred)
   
   + Ability to obtain a Public Trust security clearance.
   
   + Ability to travel overnight up to 25% of work time.
   
   Pay Range:Pay Range $65,000.00 - $100,000.00 - $135,000.00
   
   The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
   
   #Featuredjob
   
   REQNUMBER: R-00092766-OTHLOC-PL-2D0700
   
   All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Leidos will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment in accordance with relevant Laws. Leidos is an equal opportunity employer/disability/vet.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right certified industrial hygienist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your certified industrial hygienist job on Zippia to find and attract quality certified industrial hygienist candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit certified industrial hygienists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new certified industrial hygienist

   Once you've selected the best certified industrial hygienist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new certified industrial hygienist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a certified industrial hygienist?