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The differences between safety engineers 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 engineer, 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 $74,228 average annual salary of a safety engineer.
The top three skills for a safety engineer include OSHA, safety standards and safety program. The most important skills for an ehs manager are environmental health, continuous improvement, and ehs management.
| Safety Engineer | EHS Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $74,228 | $94,320 |
| Hourly rate | $35.69 | $45.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 16,617 | 15,758 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
The duties of a safety engineer depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the implementation of the safety policies and regulations in a company by conducting regular inspections and maintenance checks, coordinating with department personnel to gather data, assessing risks, and arranging precautionary measures. A safety engineer must also address issues and concerns, responding to them in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, there are instances when they have to lead safety orientations and seminars to maintain a safe and productive environment for everyone.
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 engineers and ehs managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Engineer | EHS Manager | |
| Average salary | $74,228 | $94,320 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $110,000 | Between $69,000 And $127,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a safety engineer and an ehs manager in terms of educational background:
| Safety Engineer | EHS Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between safety engineers' and ehs managers' demographics:
| Safety Engineer | EHS Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.5% 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% |