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The differences between safety directors and health & safety officers 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 a health & safety officer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a safety director has an average salary of $85,687, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.
The top three skills for a safety director include OSHA, DOT and safety procedures. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Safety Director | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,687 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $41.20 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 19,507 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
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.
Safety directors and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Director | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $85,687 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $131,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Genentech | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a safety director and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Safety Director | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between safety directors' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Safety Director | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 7% |