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Industrial health engineer vs safety manager

The differences between industrial health engineers and safety managers 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 manager. Additionally, a safety manager has an average salary of $74,754, 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 manager are OSHA, safety program, and safety procedures.

Industrial health engineer vs safety manager overview

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Manager
Yearly salary$58,264$74,754
Hourly rate$28.01$35.94
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs94,95816,155
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 manager do?

A safety manager is someone who ensures that a company is compliant and adhering to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines. Safety managers are responsible for planning and implementing OHS policies and programs. They regularly prepare educational seminars and educate employees on various safety-related topics. They conduct enforcement of preventative measures as well as risk assessment. Also, they prepare reports on accidents and violations and determine what caused them. Safety managers must have excellent attention to detail to find the hazards, discover ways to improve conditions, and execute safety programs.

Industrial health engineer vs safety manager salary

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

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Manager
Average salary$58,264$74,754
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $94,000Between $48,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-NVIDIA
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between industrial health engineer and safety manager education

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

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Manager
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 manager demographics

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

Industrial Health EngineerSafety Manager
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 76.3% Female, 23.7%Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between industrial health engineer and safety manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

  • Train and lead industrial Hazmat response team.
  • Manage consultants to complete air permit application and SPCC plan reviews.
  • Coordinate and conduct JHA, safety stand downs, accident investigation and manage individual WC claims.
  • Meet with PPE vendors and manage PPE inventory and PPE use compliance on the production floor.
  • Train and manage a team of competent persons and gas-free technicians under the direction of NFPA standards and marine chemist.
  • Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.
  • Show more

Industrial health engineer vs safety manager skills

Common industrial health engineer skills
  • EHS, 77%
  • Safety Analysis, 17%
  • ALARA, 6%
Common safety manager skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • Safety Program, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 4%
  • Safety Training, 4%
  • Safety Policies, 4%
  • Safety Regulations, 3%

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