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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and safety instructors 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 instructor. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $29,977 average annual salary of a safety instructor.
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 instructor are CPR, customer service, and powerpoint.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $29,977 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $14.41 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 38,602 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
The duties and responsibilities include coordinating classes on safety procedures, advising management on problems and possible solutions, and meeting safety compliance requirements.
Occupational health and safety specialists and safety instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Instructor | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $29,977 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $20,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | - |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | - |
| Best paying company | Genentech | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a safety instructor in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 instructors' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Instructor | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| 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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |