Safety director vs environmental health safety manager

The differences between safety directors and environmental health safety managers 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 director and an environmental health safety manager. Additionally, a safety director has an average salary of $85,687, which is higher than the $85,594 average annual salary of an environmental health safety manager.

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

Safety director vs environmental health safety manager overview

	Safety Director	Environmental Health Safety Manager
Yearly salary	$85,687	$85,594
Hourly rate	$41.20	$41.15
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	19,507	76,277
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

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 environmental health safety manager do?

An Environmental Health Safety Manager supervises the compliance of an organization with environmental legislations regarding safety in the workplace. They are responsible for applying state and federal environmental policies.

Safety director vs environmental health safety manager salary

Safety directors and environmental health safety managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Safety Director	Environmental Health Safety Manager
Average salary	$85,687	$85,594
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $131,000	Between $62,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Genentech	Blue Apron
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between safety director and environmental health safety manager education

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

	Safety Director	Environmental Health Safety Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY at Binghamton

Safety director vs environmental health safety manager demographics

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

	Safety Director	Environmental Health Safety Manager
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%
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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between safety director and environmental health safety 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.

Environmental health safety manager example responsibilities.

Implement PSM including management of change as to better manage new equipment installations and processes.
Lead new chemical reviews for potential customers for storage requirements in bulk tanks (including API and NFPA requirements).
Implement and manage a comprehensive safety training program base on OSHA and industry specific requirements.
Manage the workplace ergonomics program, active response and adjustments result in negating any mandatory program requirements.
Focuse on achieving the highest levels of HSE performance through behavior-base initiatives, auditing, mentoring and expeditiously implementing change.
Develop procedures for ISO maintenance, safety and environmental programs.

Safety director vs environmental health safety manager skills

Common safety director skills

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

Common environmental health safety manager skills

Environmental Health, 10%
EHS, 9%
OSHA, 8%
EPA, 4%
Continuous Improvement, 3%
Corrective Action, 3%

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Safety Director vs Environmental Health Safety Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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