Chief safety officer vs safety manager

The differences between chief safety officers and safety managers 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 manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a chief safety officer has an average salary of $88,550, which is higher than the $74,754 average annual salary of a safety manager.

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

Chief safety officer vs safety manager overview

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Manager
Yearly salary	$88,550	$74,754
Hourly rate	$42.57	$35.94
Growth rate	6%	4%
Number of jobs	74,813	16,155
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 manager salary

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

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Manager
Average salary	$88,550	$74,754
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $157,000	Between $48,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between chief safety officer and safety manager education

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

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Manager
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 manager demographics

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

	Chief Safety Officer	Safety Manager
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	4%

Differences between chief safety officer and safety manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Train and lead industrial Hazmat response team.
Manage consultants to complete air permit application and SPCC plan reviews.
Coordinate and conduct JHA, safety stand downs, accident investigation and manage individual WC claims.
Meet with PPE vendors and manage PPE inventory and PPE use compliance on the production floor.
Train and manage a team of competent persons and gas-free technicians under the direction of NFPA standards and marine chemist.
Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.

Chief safety officer vs safety manager skills

Common chief safety officer skills

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

Common safety manager skills

OSHA, 13%
Safety Program, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Safety Training, 4%
Safety Policies, 4%
Safety Regulations, 3%

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Chief Safety Officer
Chief Safety Officer vs Safety Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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