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The differences between industrial hygiene technicians and health & safety officers 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 a health & safety officer. Additionally, a health & safety officer has an average salary of $56,507, 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 a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $51,966 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $24.98 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,439 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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.
A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
Industrial hygiene technicians and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $51,966 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $72,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between an industrial hygiene technician and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Business |
| Most common college | Duke University | - |
Here are the differences between industrial hygiene technicians' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |