Occupational health and safety environment director vs occupational health and safety specialist

The differences between occupational health and safety environment directors and occupational health and safety specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an occupational health and safety environment director and an occupational health and safety specialist. Additionally, an occupational health and safety environment director has an average salary of $96,556, which is higher than the $59,335 average annual salary of an occupational health and safety specialist.

The top three skills for an occupational health and safety environment director include EHS, continuous improvement and environmental health. The most important skills for an occupational health and safety specialist are occupational safety, safety issues, and trend analysis.

Occupational health and safety environment director vs occupational health and safety specialist overview

	Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Occupational Health And Safety Specialist
Yearly salary	$96,556	$59,335
Hourly rate	$46.42	$28.53
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	87,553	84,204
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does an occupational health and safety environment director do?

Occupational health and safety environmental directors primarily prevent and eradicate illness and injury to employees. The directors enforce policies to make sure that a healthy and safe work environment is maintained. They organize, determine, and complete the necessary permits regarding health and safety. Also, they are called corporate safety directors, occupational health and safety specialists, or environmental protection safety consultants. They create procedures for compliance with regulatory and corporate requirements.

What does an occupational health and safety specialist do?

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.

Occupational health and safety environment director vs occupational health and safety specialist salary

Occupational health and safety environment directors and occupational health and safety specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Occupational Health And Safety Specialist
Average salary	$96,556	$59,335
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $134,000	Between $40,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Silver Spring, MD
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	Genentech
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between occupational health and safety environment director and occupational health and safety specialist education

There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety environment director and an occupational health and safety specialist in terms of educational background:

	Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Occupational Health And Safety Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Chemical Engineering	Occupational Safety And Health
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	San Diego State University

Occupational health and safety environment director vs occupational health and safety specialist demographics

Here are the differences between occupational health and safety environment directors' and occupational health and safety specialists' demographics:

	Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director	Occupational Health And Safety Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4%	Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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	7%	7%

Differences between occupational health and safety environment director and occupational health and safety specialist duties and responsibilities

Occupational health and safety environment director example responsibilities.

Supervise on site nurses and physicians, develop and manage disability management program to include EAP referrals.
Implement safety standards/expectations and site-specific EHS management systems design to significantly reduce employee injuries/illnesses and risk exposure.
Integrate HSE into business processes, auditing and leading due diligence reviews.
Present HSE annual plan of operation and administer quarterly reviews for progress in the effectuated programs.
Assist business areas with OSHA regulations and standards, including guidance on handling OSHA compliance, inspections and citations.
Incorporate health, safety and environmental standards originate by OSHA and EPA in those countries where legislative initiatives are absent.

Occupational health and safety specialist example responsibilities.

Manage the facility respirator protection program, including proper selection and use, respiratory fit testing and regulatory compliance
Conduct training classes for MSHA personnel and for various mine operators in Oregon.
Maintain thorough working knowledge of OSHA, NFPA, ANSI standards and special policy changes from AFRC.
Verse and complies with OSHA, NFPA, CFR, ANSI, EPA, civilian and military safety regulatory requirements.
Attend MSHA training as needed and maintain current knowledge on policy and procedures.
Communicate with OSHA and EPA regulatory officials with regard to contractor safety and HW/HM compliance.

Occupational health and safety environment director vs occupational health and safety specialist skills

Common occupational health and safety environment director skills

EHS, 15%
Continuous Improvement, 10%
Environmental Health, 9%
OSHA, 6%
Training Programs, 5%
Audit Programs, 5%

Common occupational health and safety specialist skills

Occupational Safety, 16%
Safety Issues, 15%
Trend Analysis, 11%
CFR, 11%
Occupational Health, 8%
Identify Hazards, 5%

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Occupational Health And Safety Environment Director vs Occupational Health And Safety Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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