Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between food inspectors and safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a food inspector, becoming a safety officer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a safety officer has an average salary of $46,336, which is higher than the $43,824 average annual salary of a food inspector.
The top three skills for a food inspector include food handling, federal laws and food preparation. The most important skills for a safety officer are OSHA, patients, and patrol.
| Food Inspector | Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $43,824 | $46,336 |
| Hourly rate | $21.07 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 64,809 | 68,487 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
The Food Inspector focuses on securing all consumers' health and safety from a company's food products. They must enforce all food standards outlined by the Food and Drug Administration. Other responsibilities include inspection of slaughterhouses, food production facilities, and other food-related establishments if they follow safety and health regulations and protocols. The Food Inspector determines if the establishment is safe to sell food products and if they have permits to operate. Their job also requires them to ensure that all food sold is fit for consumption and safe according to federal laws.
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.
Food inspectors and safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Inspector | Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $43,824 | $46,336 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $70,000 | Between $29,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Harrisburg, PA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New York |
| Best paying company | Office of Human Services | Amgen |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a food inspector and a safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Food Inspector | Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between food inspectors' and safety officers' demographics:
| Food Inspector | Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 50 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 5.5% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 8% | 7% |