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The differences between safety assistants 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 safety assistant and an environmental health specialist. Additionally, an environmental health specialist has an average salary of $54,789, which is higher than the $38,077 average annual salary of a safety assistant.
The top three skills for a safety assistant include patients, patient care and patient safety. The most important skills for an environmental health specialist are environmental health, EHS, and OSHA.
| Safety Assistant | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,077 | $54,789 |
| Hourly rate | $18.31 | $26.34 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 13,994 | 69,497 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Safety assistants help safety managers create and execute safety protocols. Typical duties include examining work areas, locating hazardous elements as well as keeping up with safety manuals and guidelines. Also, they interview injured employees, maintain first aid centers, and probe work safety incidents. Additionally, they direct regular audits with safety mentors to make certain that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) policies and procedures are followed. Primary job qualifications include knowledge in safety protocols, detail-oriented, organizational skills, teamwork, and time management. Another important requirement in this field is training in occupational hazards.
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.
Safety assistants and environmental health specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Assistant | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,077 | $54,789 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $53,000 | Between $38,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fairbanks, AK | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Capco | ICU Medical |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a safety assistant and an environmental health specialist in terms of educational background:
| Safety Assistant | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Public Health |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between safety assistants' and environmental health specialists' demographics:
| Safety Assistant | Environmental Health Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 62.8% Female, 37.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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 Percentage | 7% | 7% |