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Public health internship vs health & safety officer

The differences between public health interns 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 public health internship and a health & safety officer. Additionally, a health & safety officer has an average salary of $56,507, which is higher than the $37,987 average annual salary of a public health internship.

The top three skills for a public health internship include environmental health, EHS and patients. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.

Public health internship vs health & safety officer overview

Public Health InternshipHealth & Safety Officer
Yearly salary$37,987$56,507
Hourly rate$18.26$27.17
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs102,178115,573
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does a public health internship do?

A public health internship provides students with a great learning opportunity to put into practice those educational principles and skills learned in the classroom. They will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the duties and responsibilities of full-time professionals in public health. This exposure will provide students with leadership skills and professional development learning opportunities. In addition, students have an opportunity to contribute to various health-related agencies and organizations. The internship location should be at a primary public health agency whose work reflects the best in the industry.

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.

Public health internship vs health & safety officer salary

Public health interns and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Public Health InternshipHealth & Safety Officer
Average salary$37,987$56,507
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $55,000Between $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 public health internship and health & safety officer education

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

Public Health InternshipHealth & Safety Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorPublic HealthBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Pennsylvania-

Public health internship vs health & safety officer demographics

Here are the differences between public health interns' and health & safety officers' demographics:

Public Health InternshipHealth & Safety Officer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 32.1% Female, 67.9%Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%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 public health internship and health & safety officer duties and responsibilities

Public health internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.
  • Assist in employee training for LOTO, fork truck operation and behavioral base safety program.
  • Provide assistance during internal safety audits, asbestos abatement management, OSHA respirator fitting.
  • Train and educate large groups on job safety awareness and CPR.
  • Familiarize with ISO 14001 and the control systems that support certification standards.
  • Assist in the development of strategies to improve education of TB contacts.
  • Show more

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

Public health internship vs health & safety officer skills

Common public health internship skills
  • Environmental Health, 14%
  • EHS, 11%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Public Health, 7%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
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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