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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and health & safety officers 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 a health & safety officer. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.
The top three skills for an occupational health and safety specialist include occupational safety, safety issues and trend analysis. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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.
A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
Occupational health and safety specialists and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Government | Construction |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | - |
Here are the differences between occupational health and safety specialists' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |