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Safety instructor vs health & safety officer

The differences between safety instructors and health & safety officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a safety instructor and a health & safety officer. Additionally, a health & safety officer has an average salary of $56,507, which is higher than the $29,977 average annual salary of a safety instructor.

The top three skills for a safety instructor include CPR, customer service and powerpoint. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.

Safety instructor vs health & safety officer overview

Safety InstructorHealth & Safety Officer
Yearly salary$29,977$56,507
Hourly rate$14.41$27.17
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs38,602115,573
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

What does a safety instructor do?

The duties and responsibilities include coordinating classes on safety procedures, advising management on problems and possible solutions, and meeting safety compliance requirements.

What does a health & safety officer do?

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 instructor vs health & safety officer salary

Safety instructors and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Safety InstructorHealth & Safety Officer
Average salary$29,977$56,507
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $43,000Between $37,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City-Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state-Alaska
Best paying company-24M Technologies
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between safety instructor and health & safety officer education

There are a few differences between a safety instructor and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:

Safety InstructorHealth & Safety Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of Pennsylvania-

Safety instructor vs health & safety officer demographics

Here are the differences between safety instructors' and health & safety officers' demographics:

Safety InstructorHealth & Safety Officer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 68.4% Female, 31.6%Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between safety instructor and health & safety officer duties and responsibilities

Safety instructor example responsibilities.

  • Manage and facilitate extensive Safety/Security and HAZMAT training for all personnel.
  • Instruct various types of offshore safety course including firefighting, forklift safety, water survival, and CPR
  • Develop and present PowerPoint presentations.
  • Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.
  • Assist with safety and MSHA inspections at mine site.
  • Simplify processes for onboarding new hires and communicating training requirements to regular employees automatically through LMS.

Health & safety officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead cross functional team on FMEA analysis, root cause analysis to improve the existing process.
  • Provide regulatory guidance of OSHA health and safety regulations and establish site interpretations of those regulations.
  • Organize students' information for CPR certification and parking registration.
  • Plan, organize, and host training sessions for CPR certification.
  • Develop metrics showing departmental and site EHS performances and present monthly findings to executive management.
  • Conduct internal audits of EHS programs and provide recommendations regarding the effectiveness of internal controls and processes.
  • Show more

Safety instructor vs health & safety officer skills

Common safety instructor skills
  • CPR, 21%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • PowerPoint, 9%
  • Course Materials, 9%
  • Safety Courses, 7%
  • OSHA, 6%
Common health & safety officer skills
  • OSHA, 12%
  • Site Safety, 5%
  • Em-385, 5%
  • Safety Program, 5%
  • Fall Protection, 5%
  • SSHO, 4%

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