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What does an hse manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

A health, safety, and environmental (HSE) manager is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing a company's health and safety programs. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with different departments to gather data, assessing existing programs and policies to identify areas needing improvement, implementing solutions on issues and concerns, developing strategies to execute programs, and creating new safety policies as necessary. Furthermore, as an HSE manager, it is essential to lead and encourage team members to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

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Hse manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real hse manager resumes:

  • Maintain and manage SPCC requirements as required.
  • Manage ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 re certification.
  • Manage the development and implementation of PSM site wide.
  • Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
  • Provide oversight expertise for incident investigations, development of corrective plans and follow-up actions to prevent recurrence.
  • Conduct NFPA 70E training and other job specific training.
  • Maintain ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 certifications for two facilities.
  • Document daily logs and proper manifesting paperwork for daily EPA reports.
  • Analyze and inspect work environments and work procedures to ensure adherence to EHS regulations.
  • Handle waste disposal coordination from cradle to grave through the HW-1 process within EPA as a large quantity generator.
  • Develop, implement, and track to closure preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of future injuries and EHS events.
  • Provide technical rescue standby including confine space rescue and technical rope rescue, as well as first aid and CPR.
  • Ensure compliance with OSHA regulations including conducting safety meetings and inspections for a leading crude hauling company for major oil producers.
  • Provide support and leadership in the development, implementation, evaluation, and deployment of OSHA's safety rules and regulations.
  • Assist with pre-season skill checks including but not limit to CPR, water skills and rescue skills of 200-300 staff members.

Hse manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of HSE Managers are proficient in Regulatory Agencies, OSHA, and Environmental Regulations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Customer-service skills, and Initiative.

We break down the percentage of HSE Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Regulatory Agencies, 8%

    Collaborated with project contractors and regulatory agencies to improve incident prevention practices, and monitored compliance with internal and regulatory standards.

  • OSHA, 8%

    Designed and performed numerous presentations on OSHA Safety.

  • Environmental Regulations, 7%

    Perform facility inspections for all safety and environmental regulations for state and federal requirements.

  • Safety Program, 7%

    Participated in weekly managerial safety meetings and assisted in the evaluation and direction of all safety programs.

  • Environmental Programs, 5%

    Instituted and managed Corporate Safety and Environmental Program and Policies on international job locations.

  • Regulatory Compliance, 5%

    Ensured assigned business units were in regulatory compliance by successfully by developing/revising programs, training staff and implementing policies and procedures.

Most hse managers use their skills in "regulatory agencies," "osha," and "environmental regulations" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential hse manager responsibilities here:

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an hse manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "construction managers must be able to plan strategies, investigate project cost variances, and solve problems over the course of a project." Additionally, an hse manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "initiate all injury and incident investigations to include root cause analysis and reporting all findings to upper management and client representatives. "

Technical skills. Another common skill required for hse manager responsibilities is "technical skills." This skill comes up in the duties of hse managers all the time, as "construction managers must have an applied knowledge of concepts and practices common in the industry, such as construction technologies, contracts, and technical drawings." An excerpt from a real hse manager resume shows how this skill is central to what an hse manager does: "provide technical oversight for the implementation of the jacobs health, safety & environment (hse) program. "

See the full list of hse manager skills

The three companies that hire the most hse managers are:

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Compare different hse managers

Hse manager vs. Development vice president

A development vice president is in charge of overseeing the operations in a company, ensuring a smooth workflow and efficient workforce. Their responsibilities revolve around creating strategies to develop optimal procedures and services, setting goals and sales targets, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of operations to spearhead improvements, coordinating with analysts and marketing experts to assess the market and consumer needs, and monitoring the progress of different projects. Furthermore, as a development vice president, it is essential to implement the policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.

If we compare the average hse manager annual salary with that of a development vice president, we find that development vice presidents typically earn a $70,241 higher salary than hse managers make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between hse managers and development vice presidents are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like oversight, project management, and training programs.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between hse managers and development vice president. For instance, hse manager responsibilities require skills such as "regulatory agencies," "osha," "environmental regulations," and "safety program." Whereas a development vice president is skilled in "business development," "java," "development finance," and "c++." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Development vice presidents tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $151,199. In contrast, hse managers make the biggest average salary, $105,683, in the construction industry.On average, development vice presidents reach higher levels of education than hse managers. Development vice presidents are 5.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Hse manager vs. Director of staff development

Directors of Staff Development schedule and publicize staff development activities as per the established guidelines to promote professional development. They perform personnel functions to achieve budget objectives, enhance personnel productivity, and maintain adequate staffing. Furthermore, these professionals research crucial information to develop new programs matching staff training needs. Also, Directors of Staff Development monitor professional development services to achieve performance results as per the department and budget objectives. They develop plans and programs for the effective utilization of company resources.

A career as a director of staff development brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an hse manager. In fact, directors of staff development salary is $11,528 lower than the salary of hse managers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both hse managers and directors of staff development have skills such as "oversight," "training programs," and "cpr. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real hse manager resumes. While hse manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "regulatory agencies," "osha," "environmental regulations," and "safety program," directors of staff development use skills like "patients," "educational programs," "home health," and "resident care."

Directors of staff development earn a lower average salary than hse managers. But directors of staff development earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $80,467. Additionally, hse managers earn the highest salaries in the construction with average pay of $105,683 annually.directors of staff development earn similar levels of education than hse managers in general. They're 4.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hse manager vs. Training administrator

Training administrators coordinate employees and management training programs. The administrators administer competency or skill assessments, outplacement, career counseling, and other specialized training for employees. They update and organize the training programs for administrative and clerical works. It is also their job to plan and enforce these programs for government agencies, business enterprises, and other institutions. Leadership skills, communication skills, and management skills are necessary for this job.

On average scale, training administrators bring in lower salaries than hse managers. In fact, they earn a $41,222 lower salary per year.By looking over several hse managers and training administrators resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "regulatory compliance," "training programs," and "cpr." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from hse manager resumes include skills like "regulatory agencies," "osha," "environmental regulations," and "safety program," whereas a training administrator is more likely to list skills in "nursing home," "long-term care," "home health," and "learning management system. "

Training administrators earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $45,657. Comparatively, hse managers have the highest earning potential in the construction industry, with an average salary of $105,683.When it comes to education, training administrators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to hse managers. In fact, they're 2.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Hse manager vs. Director of training

Training directors are responsible for directing the planning, design, and implementation of training programs. They are responsible for assessing and identifying the company's training needs, maintaining a consistent culture regarding training, and managing and directing employee training. Training directors are expected to provide engaging communication about the program to encourage employee participation and emphasize the benefits and value of exercise. They are also expected to establish and maintain good relationships with vendors to provide more training programs.

Directors of training average a lower salary than the annual salary of hse managers. The difference is about $7,729 per year.While their salaries may vary, hse managers and directors of training both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "oversight," "project management," and "training programs. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An hse manager uses "regulatory agencies," "osha," "environmental regulations," and "safety program." Directors of training are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "training materials," "professional development," and "training curriculum. "directors of training reach higher levels of education compared to hse managers, in general. The difference is that they're 5.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of hse manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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