Salary
Average Salary: $66,790
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,788,349
One thing you won't mind with this job is inspecting your bank account. On average, an occupational health and safety specialist can look forward to a hefty $66,000 per year (source). That's a good thing, because you'll probably have some student loans to pay back. After all, no one wants to leave the safety of their business in the hands of someone who looked at an education and said, "I don't really need that."
One big fat caveat to that average salary is it includes all health and safety specialists. This means that the person who inspects your favorite restaurant and the radiation specialist inspecting nuclear power plants are both included. With a range from $40,000 or less to a whopping $100,000, it matters less that you're an inspector and more what you are inspecting.
Sadly, one thing you don't receive is commission. That means that no matter how much or how often you fine a business, you won't receive a single extra dollar for it. You'll get paid the exact same amount no matter what score you give, so you might as well do it right.
And remember: if a business owner offers you "commission" for a lower score, that's actually known as a bribe. It may sound nice. Who wouldn't want an extra hundred bucks for the job they just did? But the reality is that letting Old Sal serve that expired pepperoni on his pizzas could get you totally fired.
Oh, and people could get sick.