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The differences between industrial hygiene technicians and environmental technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an industrial hygiene technician, becoming an environmental technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an industrial hygiene technician has an average salary of $51,966, which is higher than the $39,690 average annual salary of an environmental technician.
The top three skills for an industrial hygiene technician include asbestos, OSHA and air quality. The most important skills for an environmental technician are patients, OSHA, and hazardous materials.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,966 | $39,690 |
| Hourly rate | $24.98 | $19.08 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 16,439 | 43,079 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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 technician is responsible for identifying, evaluating, preventing, and controlling contamination of the environment. They study how it affects human health with the supervision of environmental engineers and environmental scientists. Environmental technicians work by monitoring the environment and look for possible sources of pollution and contamination that can possibly affect public health. They make sure that environmental violations are prevented. In addition, an environmental technician also investigates any complaint that is related to water quality, air quality, and food safety.
Industrial hygiene technicians and environmental technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,966 | $39,690 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $72,000 | Between $30,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Danbury, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | City of Detroit |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between an industrial hygiene technician and an environmental technician in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Environmental Science |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between industrial hygiene technicians' and environmental technicians' demographics:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Environmental Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 8% |