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The differences between occupational health and safety specialists and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an occupational health and safety specialist, becoming a technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an occupational health and safety specialist has an average salary of $59,335, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.
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 technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $59,335 | $38,045 |
| Hourly rate | $28.53 | $18.29 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 84,204 | 596,842 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
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.
Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Technician | |
| Average salary | $59,335 | $38,045 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $24,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Government | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an occupational health and safety specialist and a technician in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 32% |
| 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 technicians' demographics:
| Occupational Health And Safety Specialist | Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.8% Female, 27.2% | Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8% |
| 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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 2% |