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Safety consultant vs industrial hygienist

The differences between safety consultants and industrial hygienists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a safety consultant and an industrial hygienist. Additionally, a safety consultant has an average salary of $72,011, which is higher than the $68,173 average annual salary of an industrial hygienist.

The top three skills for a safety consultant include OSHA, EHS and safety procedures. The most important skills for an industrial hygienist are OSHA, environmental health, and indoor air quality.

Safety consultant vs industrial hygienist overview

Safety ConsultantIndustrial Hygienist
Yearly salary$72,011$68,173
Hourly rate$34.62$32.78
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs20,06623,048
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

What does a safety consultant do?

A safety consultant specializes in establishing safety guidelines and regulations for a company to ensure a safe and productive work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding company operations, assessing existing safety programs to identify areas needing improvement, and recommending solutions through reports and presentations. They must also develop strategies to provide safety information to workers, creating information programs as necessary. Furthermore, as a safety consultant, it is essential to lead the implementation of new guidelines and policies, ensuring workforce compliance.

What does an industrial hygienist do?

An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.

Safety consultant vs industrial hygienist salary

Safety consultants and industrial hygienists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Safety ConsultantIndustrial Hygienist
Average salary$72,011$68,173
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $111,000Between $45,000 And $102,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABerkeley, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyLouisiana
Best paying companyPhillips 66Exxon Mobil
Best paying industryEnergyEnergy

Differences between safety consultant and industrial hygienist education

There are a few differences between a safety consultant and an industrial hygienist in terms of educational background:

Safety ConsultantIndustrial Hygienist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessPublic Health
Most common collegeUniversity of ConnecticutDuke University

Safety consultant vs industrial hygienist demographics

Here are the differences between safety consultants' and industrial hygienists' demographics:

Safety ConsultantIndustrial Hygienist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 82.0% Female, 18.0%Male, 74.0% Female, 26.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between safety consultant and industrial hygienist duties and responsibilities

Safety consultant example responsibilities.

  • Maintain and manage air and water permits for multiple industrial and commercial sites in accordance with EPA regulations.
  • Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.
  • Perform facility and construction site audits confirming OSHA regulatory compliance, and ensuring occupational exposure limits are not exceed.
  • Provide regulatory compliance expertise for various customer markets in regard to EHS programs including industrial hygiene, environmental and safety programs.
  • Maintain require NFPA and OSHA certifications.
  • Experience with emergency responses such as first aid, CPR, spills and fire.
  • Show more

Industrial hygienist example responsibilities.

  • Manage hazardous and special waste programs and profiles including audits/inspections, vendor compliance, documentation and recordkeeping.
  • Perform laboratory analysis of radiological product in support of company QA/QC protocol.
  • Conduct IAQ investigations for office buildings.
  • Perform internal audits for safety and ISO.
  • Escort MSHA compliance inspectors in the mine and help answer questions.
  • Conduct IAQ studies resulting in successful remediation by diagnosing HVAC deficiencies and developing moisture control strategies.
  • Show more

Safety consultant vs industrial hygienist skills

Common safety consultant skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • EHS, 7%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
  • Safety Audits, 4%
  • Safety Program, 4%
  • Corrective Action, 4%
Common industrial hygienist skills
  • OSHA, 10%
  • Environmental Health, 8%
  • Indoor Air Quality, 5%
  • Ventilation, 5%
  • Respirators, 4%
  • Corrective Action, 4%

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