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The differences between environmental health 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 environmental health specialist and a safety officer. Additionally, an environmental health specialist has an average salary of $54,789, which is higher than the $46,336 average annual salary of a safety officer.
The top three skills for an environmental health specialist include environmental health, EHS and OSHA. The most important skills for a safety officer are OSHA, patients, and patrol.
| Environmental Health Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,789 | $46,336 |
| Hourly rate | $26.34 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 69,497 | 68,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 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.
Environmental health specialists and safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Health Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $54,789 | $46,336 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $77,000 | Between $29,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | ICU Medical | Amgen |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Government |
There are a few differences between an environmental health specialist and a safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Health Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Business |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between environmental health specialists' and safety officers' demographics:
| Environmental Health Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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, 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% |