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The differences between industrial hygiene technicians and environmental health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an industrial hygiene technician and an environmental health specialist. Additionally, an environmental health specialist has an average salary of $54,789, which is higher than the $51,966 average annual salary of an industrial hygiene technician.
The top three skills for an industrial hygiene technician include asbestos, OSHA and air quality. The most important skills for an environmental health specialist are environmental health, EHS, and OSHA.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,966 | $54,789 |
| Hourly rate | $24.98 | $26.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,439 | 69,497 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Industrial hygienists identify health risks in the workplace and build methods for mitigating them. They measure the impact of these risks on workers. These health risks may include air quality, noise emissions, and ionic radiation. This position requires experience in the application of scientific methods, the ability to collect and analyze data, and the ability to use the results of that analysis to give guidance to employees. They work closely with management, both reporting and making recommendations to improve the quality of the industrial environment.
An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.
Industrial hygiene technicians and environmental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,966 | $54,789 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $72,000 | Between $38,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | ICU Medical |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an industrial hygiene technician and an environmental health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Public Health |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between industrial hygiene technicians' and environmental health specialists' demographics:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |