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The differences between safety engineers and functional 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 a functional manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a functional manager has an average salary of $113,849, 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 a functional manager are professional development, customer service, and ERP.
| Safety Engineer | Functional Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $74,228 | $113,849 |
| Hourly rate | $35.69 | $54.74 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 16,617 | 48,500 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 8 |
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.
A functional manager handles resources in a certain department like IT, engineering, PR, or marketing. Generally, they direct the technical work of employees from that functional part who are working on the project. They share responsibility with the project manager for directing the work of employees. They assign specific employees to the team and discuss with the project manager regarding resources to improved staff utilization. In addition, they also participate in the initial planning until activities are assigned and recommend possible changes to the project, including corrective actions.
Safety engineers and functional managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Engineer | Functional Manager | |
| Average salary | $74,228 | $113,849 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $110,000 | Between $88,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a safety engineer and a functional manager in terms of educational background:
| Safety Engineer | Functional Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | Carnegie Mellon University |
Here are the differences between safety engineers' and functional managers' demographics:
| Safety Engineer | Functional Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% |
| 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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 11% |