How To Become A Safety Manager: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How do I become a site safety manager?

To become a site safety manager, it helps to have postsecondary education and prior relevant experience. Most site safety managers have a bachelor's or associate's degree in occupational safety and health, business, and management, although it is possible to become one with just a high school diploma.

Q: Is it hard to be a safety manager?

No, it is not hard to be a safety manager, although it may take some time. Due to its managerial title, it's usually a role you advanced to from a previous role, like a safety coordinator or operations manager.

Q: Is safety manager a good career?

Yes, safety manager is a good career if you enjoy the high salary possibilities while also ensuring that workplaces are in good conditions for their employees. They make an average of $86,000 yearly or $41.40 hourly. On the lower end of the salary range, they can make around $58,000, usually for entry-level positions. On the higher end, they can earn six-figure salaries such as $126,000 and more.

Q: What is the OSHA hierarchy of hazard control?

The OSHA hierarchy of hazard control describes the order in which different injury and illness prevention methods should be used. It emphasizes engineering solutions (including elimination or substitution), followed by safe work practices, and worker protection.

Q: What qualifications do you need to be a health and safety manager?

The qualifications you need to be a health and safety manager are typically postsecondary education and prior relevant experience. Most health and safety managers have an associate's or bachelor's degree in business, occupational safety and health, and public health, although it is possible to become one with just a high school diploma. On the other hand, some employers may prefer if you have a master's degree as well.

What is a safety manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Wesley Tinker

A safety manager protects the health and well-being of employees and minimizes the risk of accidents or injuries in the workplace. They are responsible for ensuring that a workplace or organization adheres to safety regulations and protocols and identifying and reducing potential hazards. They develop and implement safety policies and procedures, conduct safety inspections, and train employees on safety practices. Safety managers also investigate accidents or incidents to determine causes and recommend prevention.

What general advice would you give to a safety manager?

Wesley Tinker

Assistant Professor of Safety, University of Central Missouri

- The day-to-day duties of a Safety Professional depend on the industry they currently work in but also the level of tenure they have in the organization. There is a long list of duties but the following allow for a broad sweep across an average day. The schedule of a typical workday could start with a toolbox talk which allows for a brief 'heads-up' to a vast array of safety-related topics or issues that workers have the possibility of seeing on-site. Field audits would be another crucial duty to examine the site for new safety-related issues and to monitor controls set on previously identified hazards. Conducting pieces of training for new workers and/or updates on safety-related issues on their site. Accident investigations are one of the random unexpected duties a Safety Professional might conduct, which is important in the prevention of future injuries and illnesses. Providing good customer service toward the workers and management but also the organization's vendors is critical for nearly all aspects of that company. Customer service is closely connected to the culture of the company as the majority of industry leaders provide a 'Safety First' environment. Overall, the Safety Professional provides many attributes to the day-to-day functions of many organizations. These attributes directly impact that company's stance in the overall global marketplace.

ScoreSafety ManagerUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,754

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 9.62%

Black or African American 4.95%

Hispanic or Latino 12.16%

Unknown 3.98%

White 69.12%

Gender

female 18.39%

male 81.61%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a safety manager

Explore safety manager education requirements

Most common safety manager degrees

Bachelor's

55.5 %

Associate

21.8 %

Master's

9.5 %

Start to develop specific safety manager skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	12.52%
Safety Program	5.85%
Safety Procedures	3.95%
Safety Training	3.81%
Safety Policies	3.81%

Complete relevant safety manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New safety managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a safety manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real safety manager resumes.

Research safety manager duties and responsibilities

Train and lead industrial Hazmat response team.
Manage consultants to complete air permit application and SPCC plan reviews.
Coordinate and conduct JHA, safety stand downs, accident investigation and manage individual WC claims.
Meet with PPE vendors and manage PPE inventory and PPE use compliance on the production floor.

Prepare your safety manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your safety manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a safety manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable safety manager resume templates

Build a professional safety manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your safety manager resume.

Apply for safety manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a safety manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do safety managers rate their job?

5/5

Out of 2 Safety Manager reviews, 100% were positive.

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Based on 2 ratings

Work/life balance

4.0

Overall rating

5.0

Pay / salary

4.0

Career growth

5.0

Safety manager reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023

Pros

You have the satisfaction of keeping the employees safe and you know that higher management gives you support. If you go through an OSHA inspection you are confident that you've done your due diligence.

Cons

It takes time to implement and see the safety culture grow.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

Working with leadership and taking part in creating a safer work environment through physical changes in the plant as well as a heavy focus on behavioral based safety. I enjoy training others and being tasked with difficult questions that require research and a follow up. I'm slowly becoming an expert in specific policies and standards set by our company, government agencies, and other industry standards.

Cons

I've got limited official background in OSH and find it difficult to navigate the corporate environment to find answers at times. Knowing who to include in what meetings and information sharing sessions has been somewhat of a challenge as well.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Working as a safety officer keeps a you alert at all time,you talk safety,act safety,wear safety, see safety,do everything safety,you even smell danger and prevent it before happening and that's cool.

Cons

Nobody loves to die but I guess its inevitable,working as a safety officer you must be ready for anything.

What is a safety manager and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a safety manager?

Safety manager career paths

Key steps to become a safety manager

Explore safety manager education requirements

Most common safety manager degrees

Start to develop specific safety manager skills

Complete relevant safety manager training and internships

Research safety manager duties and responsibilities

Prepare your safety manager resume

Choose from 10+ customizable safety manager resume templates

Apply for safety manager jobs

How did you land your first safety manager job

Average safety manager salary

How do safety managers rate their job?

Safety manager reviews

Safety manager FAQs

How do I become a site safety manager?

Is it hard to be a safety manager?

Is safety manager a good career?

What is the OSHA hierarchy of hazard control?

What qualifications do you need to be a health and safety manager?

Search for safety manager jobs

Safety manager jobs by state