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What is an occupational safety and health manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Tracey Cekada

An occupational safety and health manager is one who is in charge of policy and procedures pertaining to occupational health and safety within an organization. The responsibilities of this position include promoting and maintaining healthy and safe working conditions through policy and practice, ensuring legislation related to safety and health are followed, training other personnel on safety and health procedures and investigating related incidents, preparing reports, and coming up with countermeasures to avoid recurrence.

What general advice would you give to an occupational safety and health manager?

Tracey Cekada

Chairperson and Professor, Safety Sciences Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The soft skills continue to be paramount to success in occupational safety and health. Developing your communication skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and organizational skills (such as the ability to multi-task) are vital. Additionally, with the increase in the number of Hispanic and Latino workers in the workplace, and their higher workplace fatality rate than other groups, being able to speak Spanish will be a key skill to possess.
ScoreOccupational Safety And Health ManagerUS Average
Salary
6.4

Avg. Salary $82,258

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.9

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 5.75%

Black or African American 9.86%

Hispanic or Latino 14.72%

Unknown 6.21%

White 62.22%

Gender

female 35.85%

male 64.15%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Occupational safety and health manager career paths

Key steps to become an occupational safety and health manager

  1. Explore occupational safety and health manager education requirements

    Most common occupational safety and health manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    52.4 %

    Associate

    21.9 %

    Master's

    18.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific occupational safety and health manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Occupational Health11.78%
    Safety Program5.97%
    Oversight5.26%
    Infection Control4.84%
    Safety Standards4.38%
  3. Complete relevant occupational safety and health manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New occupational safety and health managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an occupational safety and health manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real occupational safety and health manager resumes.
  4. Research occupational safety and health manager duties and responsibilities

    • Lead management teams that maintain and continually improve systems that ensure process efficiencies and compliance with OHSAS 18001 and ISO14001 requirements.
    • Supervise on site nurses and physicians, develop and manage disability management program to include EAP referrals.
    • Develop safety training programs conduct audits and inspections as per OSHA, NFPA, and USDA.
    • Maintain OSHA and CPR require reporting and record keeping.
  5. Prepare your occupational safety and health manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your occupational safety and health manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an occupational safety and health manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable occupational safety and health manager resume templates

    Build a professional occupational safety and health manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your occupational safety and health manager resume.
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
    Occupational Safety And Health Manager Resume
  6. Apply for occupational safety and health manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an occupational safety and health manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first occupational safety and health manager job

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Average occupational safety and health manager salary

The average occupational safety and health manager salary in the United States is $82,258 per year or $40 per hour. Occupational safety and health manager salaries range between $57,000 and $117,000 per year.

Average occupational safety and health manager salary
$82,258 Yearly
$39.55 hourly

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How do occupational safety and health managers rate their job?

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Occupational safety and health manager reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros

You have the satisfaction of keeping the employees safe and you know that higher management gives you support. If you go through an OSHA inspection you are confident that you've done your due diligence.

Cons

It takes time to implement and see the safety culture grow.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

The job role gives me an opportunity to help save people's lives while they also achieve their objectives. In the long run, we all attain fulfillment.

Cons

Some workers refuse to adhere to safety policies even when it is obvious that they could get hurt.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Working as a safety officer keeps a you alert at all time,you talk safety,act safety,wear safety, see safety,do everything safety,you even smell danger and prevent it before happening and that's cool.

Cons

Nobody loves to die but I guess its inevitable,working as a safety officer you must be ready for anything.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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