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Industrial hygienist vs senior safety engineer

The differences between industrial hygienists and senior safety engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an industrial hygienist and a senior safety engineer. Additionally, a senior safety engineer has an average salary of $82,142, which is higher than the $68,173 average annual salary of an industrial hygienist.

The top three skills for an industrial hygienist include OSHA, environmental health and indoor air quality. The most important skills for a senior safety engineer are OSHA, safety standards, and ISO.

Industrial hygienist vs senior safety engineer overview

Industrial HygienistSenior Safety Engineer
Yearly salary$68,173$82,142
Hourly rate$32.78$39.49
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs23,04815,065
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does an industrial hygienist do?

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.

What does a senior safety engineer do?

A senior safety engineer mitigates software vulnerabilities. They also prevent cybercrime. A senior safety engineer configures and installs network software and genuinely monitors network performance. They report software malfunctions to a chief officer.

Industrial hygienist vs senior safety engineer salary

Industrial hygienists and senior safety engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Industrial HygienistSenior Safety Engineer
Average salary$68,173$82,142
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $102,000Between $57,000 And $116,000
Highest paying CityBerkeley, CABurlingame, CA
Highest paying stateLouisianaCalifornia
Best paying companyExxon MobilNVIDIA
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between industrial hygienist and senior safety engineer education

There are a few differences between an industrial hygienist and a senior safety engineer in terms of educational background:

Industrial HygienistSenior Safety Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorPublic HealthBiology
Most common collegeDuke University-

Industrial hygienist vs senior safety engineer demographics

Here are the differences between industrial hygienists' and senior safety engineers' demographics:

Industrial HygienistSenior Safety Engineer
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 74.0% Female, 26.0%Male, 85.1% Female, 14.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between industrial hygienist and senior safety engineer duties and responsibilities

Industrial hygienist example responsibilities.

  • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
  • Perform laboratory analysis of radiological product in support of company QA/QC protocol.
  • Conduct IAQ investigations for office buildings.
  • Perform internal audits for safety and ISO.
  • Escort MSHA compliance inspectors in the mine and help answer questions.
  • Conduct IAQ studies resulting in successful remediation by diagnosing HVAC deficiencies and developing moisture control strategies.
  • Show more

Senior safety engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
  • Resolve compliance questions (from both OSHA and company requirements) and comment on propose OSHA regulations.
  • Provide training at all levels of the operation including OSHA compliance, behavior-base safety, and ergonomics.
  • Review contractors' and subcontractors' asbestos and leadrelate submittals for compliance with contract documents and applicable laws/ regulations.
  • Perform accident investigations involving PSM cover processes.
  • Perform computer-based chemical dispersion modeling to support RMP reporting.
  • Show more

Industrial hygienist vs senior safety engineer skills

Common industrial hygienist skills
  • OSHA, 10%
  • Environmental Health, 8%
  • Indoor Air Quality, 5%
  • Ventilation, 5%
  • Respirators, 4%
  • Corrective Action, 4%
Common senior safety engineer skills
  • OSHA, 8%
  • Safety Standards, 7%
  • ISO, 6%
  • Safety Analysis, 5%
  • Safety Engineering, 5%
  • Safety Regulations, 4%

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