How to hire a health and safety manager

How to hire a health and safety manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step health and safety manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a health and safety manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new health and safety manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a health and safety manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your health and safety manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a health and safety manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a health and safety manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a health and safety manager that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of health and safety managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Health And Safety Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Health And Safety Manager	Health and safety engineers develop procedures and design systems to prevent people from getting sick or injured and to keep property from being damaged. They combine knowledge of systems engineering and of health and safety to make sure that chemicals, machinery, software, furniture, and other consumer products will not cause harm to people or damage to buildings.	$29-56
   Industrial Hygienist	An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.	$21-49
   EHS Coordinator	An EHS coordinator develops and organizes environmental health and safety (EHS) programs and protocols in a company. They typically perform research and analysis to determine the ideal practices, gather and analyze data to identify problem areas and their corresponding solutions, spearheading information drives within the company, and coordinating with different departments... Show more	$20-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • EHS
   • Corrective Action
   • Safety Program
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Management System
   • EPA
   • Risk Assessments
   • Safety Audits
   • Safety Procedures
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Safety Regulations
   • Safety Policies
   • Safety Standards
   • Workers Compensation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead district to earn distinction as first location in the company to adhere to rigorous EPA guidelines for hazardous materials handling.
   • Lead EHS management systems audits, conduct industrial hygiene evaluations, coordinate MSDS development and deliver EHS site-specific training.
   • Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
   • Work with business units to identify opportunities for EHS improvement and develop and implement effective EHS management systems and best practices.
   • Assess payloads to assure compliance with NASA safety requirements.
   • Perform hazard analyses and safety assessments of NASA rocket motor tests, industrial facilities and operations.

   More health and safety manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your health and safety manager job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A health and safety manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a health and safety manager in South Dakota may be lower than in Louisiana, and an entry-level health and safety manager usually earns less than a senior-level health and safety manager. Additionally, a health and safety manager with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average health and safety manager salary

   $85,606yearly

   $41.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level health and safety manager salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average health and safety manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,779	$56
   2	District of Columbia	$99,565	$48
   3	Texas	$95,458	$46
   4	Massachusetts	$93,788	$45
   5	Tennessee	$89,852	$43
   6	Illinois	$89,663	$43
   7	Ohio	$84,971	$41
   8	Minnesota	$84,753	$41
   9	Alabama	$84,380	$41
   10	Colorado	$82,643	$40
   11	New Jersey	$77,851	$37
   12	New York	$77,792	$37
   13	Virginia	$77,034	$37
   14	North Carolina	$76,946	$37
   15	Oklahoma	$74,066	$36
   16	Washington	$73,457	$35
   17	Florida	$71,799	$35
   18	South Carolina	$70,703	$34
   19	Iowa	$67,770	$33
   20	Georgia	$66,026	$32

   Average health and safety manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Walt Disney Company	$137,935	$66.31	1
   2	Apple	$135,749	$65.26	7
   3	ENERGY RECOVERY, INC.	$126,494	$60.81
   4	Amazon	$111,878	$53.79	410
   5	Novartis	$111,527	$53.62
   6	Bunge	$110,748	$53.24	9
   7	Occidental Petroleum	$110,416	$53.08
   8	AbbVie	$109,304	$52.55	10
   9	Waters	$109,280	$52.54	1
   10	VF	$108,233	$52.04
   11	KLA	$108,193	$52.02
   12	Amgen	$107,460	$51.66	14
   13	Sanofi Genzyme	$105,811	$50.87
   14	Ironwood Pharmaceuticals	$104,489	$50.24
   15	Arkema	$104,050	$50.02
   16	Tri-State G&T	$103,846	$49.93
   17	The TJX Companies	$101,941	$49.01	1
   18	Boeing	$101,595	$48.84	50
   19	Eastman	$100,913	$48.52
   20	Biomerics	$99,509	$47.84

4. Writing a health and safety manager job description

   A job description for a health and safety manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a health and safety manager job description:

   Health and safety manager job description example

   The Fish Health Manager lead';s a team of 5-8 associates responsible for receiving animals and ensuring the overall health and husbandry of all animals in the building. The Fish Health Manager is knowledgeable on common fish diseases, water quality, and life support operations. As a valuable member of the Distribution Center Leadership team, the position is accountable to maintain a safe and clean work environment and to ensure consistent application of organization policies and procedures.
   
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
   
   A Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences and/or extended experience working with freshwater aquarium fishes (e.g. fish store, public aquarium, or personal aquarium keeping).
   
   PetSmart is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, genetics, and protected veteran status, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
   
   Applicants must be the age of 18 or over, unless located in Montana or where otherwise required by local or state law.
   
   This job summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work associates/leaders assigned to this job perform. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities. You will be provided a copy of a job description for the actual position you are hired in to.
   
   PetSmart is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disabilty, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, provincal or local law.
   Applicants must be over the age of 18.
   
   The employer will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right health and safety manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your health and safety manager job on Zippia to find and recruit health and safety manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting health and safety managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new health and safety manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect health and safety manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a health and safety manager?