Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between ehs specialists and safety inspectors 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 safety inspector. Additionally, an ehs specialist has an average salary of $58,112, which is higher than the $48,765 average annual salary of a safety inspector.
The top three skills for an ehs specialist include OSHA, environmental health and risk assessments. The most important skills for a safety inspector are OSHA, safety procedures, and safety inspections.
| EHS Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $58,112 | $48,765 |
| Hourly rate | $27.94 | $23.44 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,580 | 30,193 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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 safety inspector is in charge of performing inspections to ensure that workplaces comply with the company or government's safety standards and regulations. Their responsibilities include inspecting tools and equipment, reviewing documents and specifications, assessing the workforce performances and conditions, observing facilities, and ensuring that employees have protective gear and safety measure knowledge. Moreover, a safety inspector utilizes the findings of their observation to recommend methods that will help workplaces maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone. They may also investigate workplace incidents to keep them from happening again.
Ehs specialists and safety inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| EHS Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average salary | $58,112 | $48,765 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $82,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Volkert |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Energy |
There are a few differences between an ehs specialist and a safety inspector in terms of educational background:
| EHS Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between ehs specialists' and safety inspectors' demographics:
| EHS Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |