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The differences between safety engineers and quality engineers 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 quality engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality engineer has an average salary of $79,672, 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 quality engineer are corrective action, continuous improvement, and ISO.
| Safety Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,228 | $79,672 |
| Hourly rate | $35.69 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 16,617 | 96,838 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| 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.
A quality engineer's responsibilities include ensuring that the manufacturing processes are efficient and accurate, documenting findings that would raise concerns, conducting quality tests while observing parameters, and implementing changes as necessary to meet the highest quality standards. Quality engineers need to have excellent problem-solving and observation skills to detect any irregularities and possible malfunctions. They also must be able to communicate effectively with the clients for feedbacks and corrective adjustments, address complaints, and immediately resolve any inconsistencies made.
Safety engineers and quality engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average salary | $74,228 | $79,672 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $110,000 | Between $61,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a safety engineer and a quality engineer in terms of educational background:
| Safety Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Connecticut | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between safety engineers' and quality engineers' demographics:
| Safety Engineer | Quality Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 13.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |