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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and ehs 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 specialist and an ehs specialist. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $58,112 average annual salary of an ehs specialist.
The top three skills for an occupational health and safety specialist include occupational safety, safety issues and trend analysis. The most important skills for an ehs specialist are OSHA, environmental health, and risk assessments.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | EHS Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $58,112 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $27.94 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 7,580 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
Usually working for large industries, an environment and health safety (EHS) specialist's role is to ensure the implementation of the safety policies and regulations in the workplace. Typically, they spearhead programs such as fire and earthquake drills, train new employees, identify areas of vulnerabilities in the system, and organize conferences and workshops. An EHS specialist must also maintain documentation of processes, produce progress reports, prepare presentations, and develop new policies when necessary. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with all departments, ensuring safety compliance in all areas.
Occupational health and safety specialists and ehs specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | EHS Specialist | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $58,112 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $41,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Genentech |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and an ehs specialist in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | EHS Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between occupational health and safety specialists' and ehs specialists' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | EHS Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |