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Product safety specialist vs health & safety officer

The differences between product safety specialists and health & safety officers 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 a health & safety officer. Additionally, a product safety specialist has an average salary of $78,152, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.

The top three skills for a product safety specialist include product safety, chemistry and FDA. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.

Product safety specialist vs health & safety officer overview

Product Safety SpecialistHealth & Safety Officer
Yearly salary$78,152$56,507
Hourly rate$37.57$27.17
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs74,369115,573
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
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 a health & safety officer do?

A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.

Product safety specialist vs health & safety officer salary

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

Product Safety SpecialistHealth & Safety Officer
Average salary$78,152$56,507
Salary rangeBetween $49,000 And $123,000Between $37,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City-Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-24M Technologies
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between product safety specialist and health & safety officer education

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

Product Safety SpecialistHealth & Safety Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorNursingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern California-

Product safety specialist vs health & safety officer demographics

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

Product Safety SpecialistHealth & Safety Officer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 35.9% Female, 64.1%Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product safety specialist and health & safety officer 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.

Health & safety officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead cross functional team on FMEA analysis, root cause analysis to improve the existing process.
  • Provide regulatory guidance of OSHA health and safety regulations and establish site interpretations of those regulations.
  • Organize students' information for CPR certification and parking registration.
  • Plan, organize, and host training sessions for CPR certification.
  • Develop metrics showing departmental and site EHS performances and present monthly findings to executive management.
  • Conduct internal audits of EHS programs and provide recommendations regarding the effectiveness of internal controls and processes.
  • Show more

Product safety specialist vs health & safety officer skills

Common product safety specialist skills
  • Product Safety, 33%
  • Chemistry, 14%
  • FDA, 10%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Regulatory Compliance, 5%
  • OSHA, 4%
Common health & safety officer skills
  • OSHA, 12%
  • Site Safety, 5%
  • Em-385, 5%
  • Safety Program, 5%
  • Fall Protection, 5%
  • SSHO, 4%

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