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Plant safety leader vs safety consultant

The differences between plant safety leaders and safety consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a plant safety leader, becoming a safety consultant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a plant safety leader has an average salary of $75,374, which is higher than the $72,011 average annual salary of a safety consultant.

The top three skills for a plant safety leader include OSHA, continuous improvement and safety audits. The most important skills for a safety consultant are OSHA, EHS, and safety procedures.

Plant safety leader vs safety consultant overview

Plant Safety LeaderSafety Consultant
Yearly salary$75,374$72,011
Hourly rate$36.24$34.62
Growth rate6%4%
Number of jobs36,95720,066
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4542
Years of experience62

What does a plant safety leader do?

Plant Safety Leaders are responsible for ensuring the organization's facility adheres to all safety policies and regulations. Their duties include advising employees on safety work culture, develop safe work practices programs, and make sure projects' operations fulfill legal safety requirements. They are also involved in conducting accident investigations, implementing safety worksite processes, and producing safety reports. Plant Safety Leaders carry out safety and risk assessments, perform emergency response evaluations, and facilitate staff departments' training sessions.

What does a safety consultant do?

A safety consultant specializes in establishing safety guidelines and regulations for a company to ensure a safe and productive work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding company operations, assessing existing safety programs to identify areas needing improvement, and recommending solutions through reports and presentations. They must also develop strategies to provide safety information to workers, creating information programs as necessary. Furthermore, as a safety consultant, it is essential to lead the implementation of new guidelines and policies, ensuring workforce compliance.

Plant safety leader vs safety consultant salary

Plant safety leaders and safety consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Plant Safety LeaderSafety Consultant
Average salary$75,374$72,011
Salary rangeBetween $45,000 And $124,000Between $46,000 And $111,000
Highest paying CityFairfield, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyApplePhillips 66
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between plant safety leader and safety consultant education

There are a few differences between a plant safety leader and a safety consultant in terms of educational background:

Plant Safety LeaderSafety Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Connecticut

Plant safety leader vs safety consultant demographics

Here are the differences between plant safety leaders' and safety consultants' demographics:

Plant Safety LeaderSafety Consultant
Average age4542
Gender ratioMale, 77.8% Female, 22.2%Male, 82.0% Female, 18.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%4%

Differences between plant safety leader and safety consultant duties and responsibilities

Plant safety leader example responsibilities.

  • Manage SPCC and stormwater program and perform stormwater sampling.
  • Lead development of a comprehensive program for maximizing past PSM consulting investments and assessment activities.
  • Train employees in LOTO procedures, maintain training records.
  • Execute these plans from start to finish with documentation, help safety department comply with OSHA compliance.
  • Submit maintenance notifications to protect equipment consistency, troubleshoot maintenance and to comply with OSHA and SQF regulations.
  • Perform weekly hazardous waste inspections.- collaborate on company-wide EHS projects that benefit all the locations.
  • Show more

Safety consultant example responsibilities.

  • Maintain and manage air and water permits for multiple industrial and commercial sites in accordance with EPA regulations.
  • Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.
  • Perform facility and construction site audits confirming OSHA regulatory compliance, and ensuring occupational exposure limits are not exceed.
  • Provide regulatory compliance expertise for various customer markets in regard to EHS programs including industrial hygiene, environmental and safety programs.
  • Maintain require NFPA and OSHA certifications.
  • Experience with emergency responses such as first aid, CPR, spills and fire.
  • Show more

Plant safety leader vs safety consultant skills

Common plant safety leader skills
  • OSHA, 9%
  • Continuous Improvement, 8%
  • Safety Audits, 7%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • Safety Regulations, 5%
  • Corrective Action, 4%
Common safety consultant skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • EHS, 7%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • Safety Audits, 4%
  • Safety Program, 4%
  • Corrective Action, 4%

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