Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between ehs specialists and 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 safety officer. Additionally, an ehs specialist has an average salary of $58,112, which is higher than the $46,336 average annual salary of a safety officer.
The top three skills for an ehs specialist include OSHA, environmental health and risk assessments. The most important skills for a safety officer are OSHA, patients, and patrol.
| EHS Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $58,112 | $46,336 |
| Hourly rate | $27.94 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 7,580 | 68,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
Ehs specialists and safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| EHS Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $58,112 | $46,336 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $82,000 | Between $29,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Amgen |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between an ehs specialist and a safety officer in terms of educational background:
| EHS Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between ehs specialists' and safety officers' demographics:
| EHS Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |