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The differences between ehs specialists and health & safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an ehs specialist and a health & safety officer. Additionally, an ehs specialist has an average salary of $58,112, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.
The top three skills for an ehs specialist include OSHA, environmental health and risk assessments. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| EHS Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,112 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $27.94 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,580 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Usually working for large industries, an environment and health safety (EHS) specialist's role is to ensure the implementation of the safety policies and regulations in the workplace. Typically, they spearhead programs such as fire and earthquake drills, train new employees, identify areas of vulnerabilities in the system, and organize conferences and workshops. An EHS specialist must also maintain documentation of processes, produce progress reports, prepare presentations, and develop new policies when necessary. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all departments, ensuring safety compliance in all areas.
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. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
Ehs specialists and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| EHS Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $58,112 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $82,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Construction |
There are a few differences between an ehs specialist and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| EHS Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between ehs specialists' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| EHS Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |