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The differences between product safety specialists and safety inspectors 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 safety inspector. Additionally, a product safety specialist has an average salary of $78,152, which is higher than the $48,765 average annual salary of a safety inspector.
The top three skills for a product safety specialist include product safety, chemistry and FDA. The most important skills for a safety inspector are OSHA, safety procedures, and safety inspections.
| Product Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $78,152 | $48,765 |
| Hourly rate | $37.57 | $23.44 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 74,369 | 30,193 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A safety inspector is in charge of performing inspections to ensure that workplaces comply with the company or government's safety standards and regulations. Their responsibilities include inspecting tools and equipment, reviewing documents and specifications, assessing the workforce performances and conditions, observing facilities, and ensuring that employees have protective gear and safety measure knowledge. Moreover, a safety inspector utilizes the findings of their observation to recommend methods that will help workplaces maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone. They may also investigate workplace incidents to keep them from happening again.
Product safety specialists and safety inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average salary | $78,152 | $48,765 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $123,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Volkert |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product safety specialist and a safety inspector in terms of educational background:
| Product Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | - |
Here are the differences between product safety specialists' and safety inspectors' demographics:
| Product Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |