Corporate safety director vs safety manager

The differences between corporate safety directors 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 corporate safety director, becoming a safety manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a corporate safety director has an average salary of $77,464, which is higher than the $74,754 average annual salary of a safety manager.

The top three skills for a corporate safety director include OSHA, safety procedures and safety culture. The most important skills for a safety manager are OSHA, safety program, and safety procedures.

Corporate safety director vs safety manager overview

	Corporate Safety Director	Safety Manager
Yearly salary	$77,464	$74,754
Hourly rate	$37.24	$35.94
Growth rate	6%	4%
Number of jobs	27,969	16,155
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	6	2

Corporate safety director vs safety manager salary

Corporate safety directors and safety managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Safety Director	Safety Manager
Average salary	$77,464	$74,754
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $113,000	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 corporate safety director and safety manager education

There are a few differences between a corporate safety director and a safety manager in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Safety Director	Safety Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Stanford University

Corporate safety director vs safety manager demographics

Here are the differences between corporate safety directors' and safety managers' demographics:

	Corporate Safety Director	Safety Manager
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.7% 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 corporate safety director and safety manager duties and responsibilities

Corporate safety director example responsibilities.

Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
Participate as a business/safety advocate and provide Company/industry expertise in OSHA and MSHA regulatory policy making.
Represent company as management during any OSHA inspections.
Develop and implement EHS and manufacturing facilities integration plans for new facilities and businesses.
Design and implement corporate-wide EHS management system focuse on employee accountability, reduction of environmental/safety risks.
Establish regulatory and best practices programs, auditing and performance reporting with concurrent oversight of operations (modele globally).

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.

Corporate safety director vs safety manager skills

Common corporate safety director skills

OSHA, 17%
Safety Procedures, 9%
Safety Culture, 6%
CPR, 4%
Risk Management, 4%
EHS, 3%

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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Corporate Safety Director
Corporate Safety Director vs Safety Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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