Safety director vs project safety manager

The differences between safety directors and project 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 a project safety manager. Additionally, a project safety manager has an average salary of $100,955, 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 a project safety manager are OSHA, safety program, and project safety.

Safety director vs project safety manager overview

	Safety Director	Project Safety Manager
Yearly salary	$85,687	$100,955
Hourly rate	$41.20	$48.54
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	19,507	111,653
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
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 a project safety manager do?

Project Safety Managers are responsible for ensuring the project workplace environment adheres to health and safety standards. Their duties include coordinating safety meetings, conducting audits, performing site inspections, implementing corrective action, and coordinating compliance training sessions. They are responsible for creating an emergency action plan, becoming primary contact for any site injuries and case management, and maintains an inspection log. Project Safety Managers also administer project budgeting, coordinate invoices, reporting project status, and attends team meetings.

Safety director vs project safety manager salary

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

	Safety Director	Project Safety Manager
Average salary	$85,687	$100,955
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $131,000	Between $72,000 And $140,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Genentech	-
Best paying industry	Construction	-

Differences between safety director and project safety manager education

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

	Safety Director	Project Safety Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Safety director vs project safety manager demographics

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

	Safety Director	Project Safety Manager
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%	Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%
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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between safety director and project 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.

Project safety manager example responsibilities.

Achieve EPA approve closure of the chemical waste treatment plant through manufacturing process restructuring.
Collaborate with cross-functional team to successfully achieve initial ISO 14001certification.
Conduct weekly focuse inspections and audits on safety elements with different contractors to confirm compliance with project and GE EHS requirements.
Coordinate compliance visits by environmental agencies, OSHA inspections and utility inspections.
Ensure timely and proper implementation recommendations or corrective actions following OSHA plant inspections.
Conduct incident investigations and EHS audits and track resulting action items to completion.

Safety director vs project safety manager skills

Common safety director skills

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

Common project safety manager skills

OSHA, 9%
Safety Program, 8%
Project Safety, 7%
Safety Standards, 6%
Site Safety, 5%
Safety Reports, 5%

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Safety Director vs Project Safety Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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