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Product safety specialist vs environmental health specialist

The differences between product safety specialists and environmental health specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a product safety specialist and an environmental health specialist. Additionally, a product safety specialist has an average salary of $78,152, which is higher than the $54,789 average annual salary of an environmental health specialist.

The top three skills for a product safety specialist include product safety, chemistry and FDA. The most important skills for an environmental health specialist are environmental health, EHS, and OSHA.

Product safety specialist vs environmental health specialist overview

Product Safety SpecialistEnvironmental Health Specialist
Yearly salary$78,152$54,789
Hourly rate$37.57$26.34
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs74,36969,497
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does a product safety specialist do?

Product safety specialist positions require skills in marketing, communication, presentation, customer support, and engineering with a thorough understanding of how the product development process works. A familiarity with current trends, customer demands, and brand image will also be greatly needed. This career will call for the development and conducting of tests to evaluate product safety levels, as well as recommending safety measures for the reduction or elimination of hazards.

What does an environmental health specialist do?

An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.

Product safety specialist vs environmental health specialist salary

Product safety specialists and environmental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product Safety SpecialistEnvironmental Health Specialist
Average salary$78,152$54,789
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $123,000Between $38,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City-Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-ICU Medical
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between product safety specialist and environmental health specialist education

There are a few differences between a product safety specialist and an environmental health specialist in terms of educational background:

Product Safety SpecialistEnvironmental Health Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorNursingPublic Health
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of California, Berkeley

Product safety specialist vs environmental health specialist demographics

Here are the differences between product safety specialists' and environmental health specialists' demographics:

Product Safety SpecialistEnvironmental Health Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 35.9% Female, 64.1%Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product safety specialist and environmental health specialist duties and responsibilities

Product safety specialist example responsibilities.

  • Maximize productivity through coordinating and managing efforts between service engineers, sales personnel and external OEM automation programmers.
  • Conduct OSHA chemical hazard communication training courses for company employees on a global basis.
  • Conduct numerous facility inspections advising various companies of potential equipment and health hazards and possible OSHA citations.
  • Review and approve EHS documentation, conduct EHS audits and provide a follow-up to ensure audit recommendations are implement.
  • Perform when necessary audits on drivers CDL expiration, hazmat endorsement expiration, medical examination/DOT physical expiration.

Environmental health specialist example responsibilities.

  • Help in managing the implementation of management systems meeting OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 standards.
  • Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
  • Provide strategic leadership and work with management on identify EHS issues/recommendations/opportunities to foster continuous improvement of EHS programs and culture.
  • Maintain SDS and GHS programs.
  • Serve as an in-house expert for GHS - SDS and labeling issues.
  • Help integrate EHSMS internal audits with QMS internal audits for ISO 13485 and reviewing QSR.
  • Show more

Product safety specialist vs environmental health specialist skills

Common product safety specialist skills
  • Product Safety, 33%
  • Chemistry, 14%
  • FDA, 10%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Regulatory Compliance, 5%
  • OSHA, 4%
Common environmental health specialist skills
  • Environmental Health, 15%
  • EHS, 8%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Hazardous Waste, 4%
  • Public Health, 3%
  • Risk Assessments, 3%

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