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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and safety representatives 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 representative. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $50,717 average annual salary of a safety representative.
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 representative are OSHA, safety procedures, and corrective action.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $50,717 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $24.38 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 15,531 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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 representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing. They also submit incident reports to the safety manager and provide recommendations to minimize risks and practice emergency drills. A safety representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills to create a safe environment for operations.
Occupational health and safety specialists and safety representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Representative | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $50,717 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $32,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | Genentech | ConocoPhillips |
| Best paying industry | Government | Energy |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a safety representative in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between occupational health and safety specialists' and safety representatives' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Safety Representative | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 77.5% Female, 22.5% |
| 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, 10.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |