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Hygienist vs industrial hygienist

The differences between hygienists and industrial hygienists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hygienist has an average salary of $83,134, which is higher than the $68,173 average annual salary of an industrial hygienist.

The top three skills for a hygienist include patients, oral health and patient education. The most important skills for an industrial hygienist are OSHA, environmental health, and indoor air quality.

Hygienist vs industrial hygienist overview

HygienistIndustrial Hygienist
Yearly salary$83,134$68,173
Hourly rate$39.97$32.78
Growth rate11%4%
Number of jobs13,99123,048
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4242
Years of experience-2

What does a hygienist do?

The Hygienist is a specialist in the promotion of clean conditions for the preservation of health. They work in various environments, from factories and building sites to offices.

What does an industrial hygienist do?

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.

Hygienist vs industrial hygienist salary

Hygienists and industrial hygienists have different pay scales, as shown below.

HygienistIndustrial Hygienist
Average salary$83,134$68,173
Salary rangeBetween $59,000 And $116,000Between $45,000 And $102,000
Highest paying CityPetaluma, CABerkeley, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandLouisiana
Best paying companyPrivate PracticeExxon Mobil
Best paying industryHealth CareEnergy

Differences between hygienist and industrial hygienist education

There are a few differences between a hygienist and an industrial hygienist in terms of educational background:

HygienistIndustrial Hygienist
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorDental AssistingPublic Health
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborDuke University

Hygienist vs industrial hygienist demographics

Here are the differences between hygienists' and industrial hygienists' demographics:

HygienistIndustrial Hygienist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 15.2% Female, 84.8%Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%4%

Differences between hygienist and industrial hygienist duties and responsibilities

Hygienist example responsibilities.

  • Manage construction and demolition nationwide.
  • Perform oral prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance therapy for adult and geriatric patients with active periodontal disease.
  • Provide oral prophylactics and scaling and root planing on adults.
  • Perform oral prophylaxis, root planing, and soft tissue management.
  • Participate in several OSHA inspections for field and plants location from employee complaints.
  • Accelerate patient care includes prophylaxis, radiographs, SRP, anesthesia and fluoride.
  • Show more

Industrial hygienist example responsibilities.

  • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
  • Perform laboratory analysis of radiological product in support of company QA/QC protocol.
  • Conduct IAQ investigations for office buildings.
  • Perform internal audits for safety and ISO.
  • Escort MSHA compliance inspectors in the mine and help answer questions.
  • Conduct IAQ studies resulting in successful remediation by diagnosing HVAC deficiencies and developing moisture control strategies.
  • Show more

Hygienist vs industrial hygienist skills

Common hygienist skills
  • Patients, 43%
  • Oral Health, 9%
  • Patient Education, 6%
  • Clinical Findings, 6%
  • Planing, 5%
  • Aspen, 5%
Common industrial hygienist skills
  • OSHA, 10%
  • Environmental Health, 8%
  • Indoor Air Quality, 5%
  • Ventilation, 5%
  • Respirators, 4%
  • Corrective Action, 4%

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