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The differences between industrial hygiene technicians and plant safety leaders 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 plant safety leader. Additionally, a plant safety leader has an average salary of $75,374, 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 plant safety leader are OSHA, continuous improvement, and safety audits.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Plant Safety Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $51,966 | $75,374 |
| Hourly rate | $24.98 | $36.24 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,439 | 36,957 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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.
Plant Safety Leaders are responsible for ensuring the organization's facility adheres to all safety policies and regulations. Their duties include advising employees on safety work culture, develop safe work practices programs, and make sure projects' operations fulfill legal safety requirements. They are also involved in conducting accident investigations, implementing safety worksite processes, and producing safety reports. Plant Safety Leaders carry out safety and risk assessments, perform emergency response evaluations, and facilitate staff departments' training sessions.
Industrial hygiene technicians and plant safety leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Plant Safety Leader | |
| Average salary | $51,966 | $75,374 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $72,000 | Between $45,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Fairfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an industrial hygiene technician and a plant safety leader in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Plant Safety Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Business |
| Most common college | Duke University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between industrial hygiene technicians' and plant safety leaders' demographics:
| Industrial Hygiene Technician | Plant Safety Leader | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2% |
| 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, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |