Chief safety officer vs safety director

The differences between chief safety officers and safety directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chief safety officer, becoming a safety director takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a chief safety officer has an average salary of $88,550, which is higher than the $85,687 average annual salary of a safety director.

The top three skills for a chief safety officer include OSHA, safety program and patient safety. The most important skills for a safety director are OSHA, DOT, and safety procedures.

Chief safety officer vs safety director overview

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Director
Yearly salary	$88,550	$85,687
Hourly rate	$42.57	$41.20
Growth rate	6%	4%
Number of jobs	74,813	19,507
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	6	2

Chief safety officer vs safety director salary

Chief safety officers and safety directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Director
Average salary	$88,550	$85,687
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $157,000	Between $55,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	-	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Genentech
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between chief safety officer and safety director education

There are a few differences between a chief safety officer and a safety director in terms of educational background:

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Chief safety officer vs safety director demographics

Here are the differences between chief safety officers' and safety directors' demographics:

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Director
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	4%

Differences between chief safety officer and safety director duties and responsibilities

Chief safety officer example responsibilities.

Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
Serve as company liaison with attorneys and adjusters for all defense litigation and company representative for depositions in most liability cases.
Perform hazard awareness training and safety supervision to oilfield operations in high H2S areas.

Safety director example responsibilities.

Manage institutional compliance with OSHA, EPA, DEP, JCAHO, AOA, NFPA, and other regulatory authorities.
Lead and manage ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 internal, third party, customer and supplier audits for the group.
Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
Conduct routine health, safety and environmental inspections in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910, EPA and NFPA standards.
Indoctrinate and train new employees in CPR, and basic first aid.
Teach CPR, first aid, blood borne pathogens and baby sitting classes.

Chief safety officer vs safety director skills

Common chief safety officer skills

OSHA, 14%
Safety Program, 13%
Patient Safety, 11%
Risk Management, 10%
Regulatory Compliance, 7%
CMS, 6%

Common safety director skills

OSHA, 13%
DOT, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%
PET, 5%
Patients, 5%
Safety Policies, 4%

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Chief Safety Officer
Chief Safety Officer vs Safety Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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