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The differences between environmental, safety, & health engineers and environmental specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an environmental, safety, & health engineer, becoming an environmental specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an environmental, safety, & health engineer has an average salary of $69,638, which is higher than the $54,482 average annual salary of an environmental specialist.
The top three skills for an environmental, safety, & health engineer include environmental health, OSHA and EHS. The most important skills for an environmental specialist are hazardous waste, environmental compliance, and hazardous materials.
| Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer | Environmental Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $69,638 | $54,482 |
| Hourly rate | $33.48 | $26.19 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,881 | 18,074 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An environmental, safety, and health engineer is responsible for developing procedures and designing systems to help prevent an injury, an illness, and property damage. You will perform a few tasks that include monitoring the conditions of the natural surroundings and the impact of humans, assessing potential hazards such as soil, water, and air contaminants, and developing solutions that will benefit the ecosystem and the community. You will also be responsible for developing structures that promote public safety, such as floodgates and bridges.
Environmental specialists are experts in natural science who are responsible for monitoring the environmental impact of a population, identifying environmental problems, and recommending measures to solve these issues. These scientists perform various duties and responsibilities that include overseeing field examinations and reporting hazard materials and locations, evaluating environmental health concerns, and investigating preparing reports related to environmental issues. Environmental specialists are also responsible for consulting with agencies or clients about an issue or situation and working with other companies to reduce pollution and waste.
Environmental, safety, & health engineers and environmental specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average salary | $69,638 | $54,482 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $95,000 | Between $36,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | California |
| Best paying company | Western Digital | Texas Instruments |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an environmental, safety, & health engineer and an environmental specialist in terms of educational background:
| Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer | Environmental Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between environmental, safety, & health engineers' and environmental specialists' demographics:
| Environmental, Safety, & Health Engineer | Environmental Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7% | Male, 62.6% Female, 37.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 16% |