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The differences between environmental health 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 environmental health specialist and a health & safety officer. Additionally, a health & safety officer has an average salary of $56,507, which is higher than the $54,789 average annual salary of an environmental health specialist.
The top three skills for an environmental health specialist include environmental health, EHS and OSHA. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Environmental Health Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,789 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $26.34 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 69,497 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.
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.
Environmental health specialists and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Health Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $54,789 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $77,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | ICU Medical | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Construction |
There are a few differences between an environmental health specialist and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Health Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Business |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | - |
Here are the differences between environmental health specialists' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Environmental Health Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.7% 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% |