Safety Director Vs EHS Manager

The differences between safety directors and ehs managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a safety director, becoming an ehs manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an ehs manager has an average salary of $94,320, which is higher than the $85,687 average annual salary of a safety director.

The top three skills for a safety director include OSHA, DOT and safety procedures. The most important skills for an ehs manager are environmental health, continuous improvement, and ehs management.

Safety director vs ehs manager overview

	Safety Director	EHS Manager
Yearly Salary	$85,687	$94,320
Hourly rate	$41.20	$45.35
Growth Rate	4%	7%
Number Of Jobs	19,507	15,758
Job Satisfaction	5	-
Most Common Degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average Age	42	45
Years Of Experience	2	4

What does a Safety Director do?

A safety director is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the business and its employees, enforcing strict safety standards, and facilitating safety drills and programs to avoid potential hazards within the office's premises. Safety directors inspect the building's premises, including the office's equipment and other systems, and perform immediate actions even for the smallest inconsistencies. They also create incident and audit reports to discuss with the management and implement or adjust regulations as needed.

What does an ehs manager do?

An environmental health & safety (EHS) manager is in charge of developing and implementing safety programs for a company's workforce and work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations, devising preventive measures, spearheading training and seminars, and investigating workplace accidents and identify causes to ensure that it would not happen again. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing every policy and safety regulation of the company.

Safety director vs ehs manager salary

Safety directors and ehs managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Safety Director	EHS Manager
Average Salary	$85,687	$94,320
Salary Range	Between $55,000 And $131,000	Between $69,000 And $127,000
Highest Paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest Paying State	California	Oregon
Best Paying Company	Genentech	Meta
Best Paying Industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between safety director and ehs manager education

There are a few differences between a safety director and an ehs manager in terms of educational background:

	Safety Director	EHS Manager
Most Common Degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most Common Major	Business	Business
Most Common College	Stanford University	SUNY at Binghamton

Safety director vs ehs manager demographics

Here are the differences between safety directors' and ehs managers' demographics:

	Safety Director	EHS Manager
Average Age	42	45
Gender Ratio	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race Ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 4.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	4%	18%

Differences between safety director and ehs manager duties and responsibilities

Safety Director Example Responsibilities.

Manage institutional compliance with OSHA, EPA, DEP, JCAHO, AOA, NFPA, and other regulatory authorities.
Lead and manage ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 internal, third party, customer and supplier audits for the group.
Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
Conduct routine health, safety and environmental inspections in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910, EPA and NFPA standards.
Indoctrinate and train new employees in CPR, and basic first aid.
Teach CPR, first aid, blood borne pathogens and baby sitting classes.

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EHS Manager Example Responsibilities.

Manage site EHS database, Gensuite.
Manage cross-functional teams/committees in development and implementation of robust proactive ergonomics program.
Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
Keep all SDS materials to date.
Purchase and implement a software program for recordkeeping and management of costs.
Develop a working relationship with local CDL schools to recruit newly graduate truck driving students.

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Safety director vs ehs manager skills

Common Safety Director Skills

OSHA, 13%
DOT, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%
PET, 5%
Patients, 5%
Safety Policies, 4%

Common EHS Manager Skills

Environmental Health, 8%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Ehs Management, 5%
EPA, 4%
Risk Assessments, 4%
Corrective Action, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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