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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and safety assistants 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 safety assistant. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $38,077 average annual salary of a safety assistant.
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 safety assistant are patients, patient care, and patient safety.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $38,077 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $18.31 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 13,994 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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.
Safety assistants help safety managers create and execute safety protocols. Typical duties include examining work areas, locating hazardous elements as well as keeping up with safety manuals and guidelines. Also, they interview injured employees, maintain first aid centers, and probe work safety incidents. Additionally, they direct regular audits with safety mentors to make certain that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) policies and procedures are followed. Primary job qualifications include knowledge in safety protocols, detail-oriented, organizational skills, teamwork, and time management. Another important requirement in this field is training in occupational hazards.
Occupational health and safety specialists and safety assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Assistant | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $38,077 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Capco |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a safety assistant in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between occupational health and safety specialists' and safety assistants' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Assistant | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| 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, 9.2% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |