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Industrial health engineer vs safety director

The differences between industrial health engineers and safety directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an industrial health engineer and a safety director. Additionally, a safety director has an average salary of $85,687, which is higher than the $58,264 average annual salary of an industrial health engineer.

The top three skills for an industrial health engineer include EHS, safety analysis and ALARA. The most important skills for a safety director are OSHA, DOT, and safety procedures.

Industrial health engineer vs safety director overview

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Director
Yearly salary$58,264$85,687
Hourly rate$28.01$41.20
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs94,95819,507
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does an industrial health engineer do?

To avoid or remedy hazardous environmental conditions in the workplace, industrial safety and health engineers design, execute, and organize safety systems using engineering principles and technology. They ensure that employees and people who come into their organization are kept safe from injuries resulting from accidents in the workplace. They inspect the buildings, machinery, and safety equipment to detect and correct possible risks. Part of this role involves developing safety and health programs that will help prevent and minimize damage to both health and property.

What does a safety director do?

A safety director is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the business and its employees, enforcing strict safety standards, and facilitating safety drills and programs to avoid potential hazards within the office's premises. Safety directors inspect the building's premises, including the office's equipment and other systems, and perform immediate actions even for the smallest inconsistencies. They also create incident and audit reports to discuss with the management and implement or adjust regulations as needed.

Industrial health engineer vs safety director salary

Industrial health engineers and safety directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Director
Average salary$58,264$85,687
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $94,000Between $55,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City-South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Genentech
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between industrial health engineer and safety director education

There are a few differences between an industrial health engineer and a safety director in terms of educational background:

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborStanford University

Industrial health engineer vs safety director demographics

Here are the differences between industrial health engineers' and safety directors' demographics:

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Director
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 76.3% Female, 23.7%Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 10.5% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between industrial health engineer and safety director duties and responsibilities

Industrial health engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage environmental compliance programs including all water, air, waste issues, EPA and OSHA environmental issues.
  • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
  • Provide IH oversight during work activities, evaluate and monitor excavation activities, and assist management team on issue resolution.
  • Check imported materials and maintain their circulation in manufacturing by ERP system.

Safety director example responsibilities.

  • Manage institutional compliance with OSHA, EPA, DEP, JCAHO, AOA, NFPA, and other regulatory authorities.
  • Lead and manage ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 internal, third party, customer and supplier audits for the group.
  • Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
  • Conduct routine health, safety and environmental inspections in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910, EPA and NFPA standards.
  • Indoctrinate and train new employees in CPR, and basic first aid.
  • Teach CPR, first aid, blood borne pathogens and baby sitting classes.
  • Show more

Industrial health engineer vs safety director skills

Common industrial health engineer skills
  • EHS, 77%
  • Safety Analysis, 17%
  • ALARA, 6%
Common safety director skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • DOT, 7%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • PET, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Safety Policies, 4%

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