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The differences between industrial hygienists and occupational health and safety specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an industrial hygienist, becoming an occupational health and safety specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an industrial hygienist has an average salary of $68,173, which is higher than the $59,335 average annual salary of an occupational health and safety specialist.
The top three skills for an industrial hygienist include OSHA, environmental health and indoor air quality. The most important skills for an occupational health and safety specialist are occupational safety, safety issues, and trend analysis.
| Industrial Hygienist | Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $68,173 | $59,335 |
| Hourly rate | $32.78 | $28.53 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 23,048 | 84,204 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.
An occupational health and safety specialist's role is to inspect and analyze work environments and procedures, ensuring compliance with the company's safety rules and regulations. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies and programs that prioritize employees' safety and welfare, inspect machines and equipment, conduct safety demonstrations and training programs, investigate workforce accidents, and implement precautionary measures. There are also instances when an occupational health and safety specialist must produce progress reports and presentations, suggest improvements in the system, and collect samples for laboratory testing and analysis.
Industrial hygienists and occupational health and safety specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Industrial Hygienist | Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | |
| Average salary | $68,173 | $59,335 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $102,000 | Between $40,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Silver Spring, MD |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Exxon Mobil | Genentech |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Government |
There are a few differences between an industrial hygienist and an occupational health and safety specialist in terms of educational background:
| Industrial Hygienist | Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Public Health | Occupational Safety And Health |
| Most common college | Duke University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between industrial hygienists' and occupational health and safety specialists' demographics:
| Industrial Hygienist | Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0% | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 7% |