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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and safety inspectors 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 inspector. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $48,765 average annual salary of a safety inspector.
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 inspector are OSHA, safety procedures, and safety inspections.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $48,765 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $23.44 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 30,193 |
| 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.
A safety inspector is in charge of performing inspections to ensure that workplaces comply with the company or government's safety standards and regulations. Their responsibilities include inspecting tools and equipment, reviewing documents and specifications, assessing the workforce performances and conditions, observing facilities, and ensuring that employees have protective gear and safety measure knowledge. Moreover, a safety inspector utilizes the findings of their observation to recommend methods that will help workplaces maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone. They may also investigate workplace incidents to keep them from happening again.
Occupational health and safety specialists and safety inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $48,765 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Volkert |
| Best paying industry | Government | Energy |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a safety inspector in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| 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 | - |
Here are the differences between occupational health and safety specialists' and safety inspectors' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |