Safety manager vs health & safety officer

The differences between safety managers and health & safety officers 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 manager, becoming a health & safety officer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a safety manager has an average salary of $74,754, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.

The top three skills for a safety manager include OSHA, safety program and safety procedures. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.

Safety manager vs health & safety officer overview

	Safety Manager	Health & Safety Officer
Yearly salary	$74,754	$56,507
Hourly rate	$35.94	$27.17
Growth rate	4%	6%
Number of jobs	16,155	115,573
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	2	6

What does a safety manager do?

A safety manager is someone who ensures that a company is compliant and adhering to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines. Safety managers are responsible for planning and implementing OHS policies and programs. They regularly prepare educational seminars and educate employees on various safety-related topics. They conduct enforcement of preventative measures as well as risk assessment. Also, they prepare reports on accidents and violations and determine what caused them. Safety managers must have excellent attention to detail to find the hazards, discover ways to improve conditions, and execute safety programs.

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 manager vs health & safety officer salary

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

	Safety Manager	Health & Safety Officer
Average salary	$74,754	$56,507
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $115,000	Between $37,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	NVIDIA	24M Technologies
Best paying industry	Energy	Construction

Differences between safety manager and health & safety officer education

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

	Safety Manager	Health & Safety Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Safety manager vs health & safety officer demographics

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

	Safety Manager	Health & Safety Officer
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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 Percentage	4%	7%

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

Safety manager example 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.
Train and manage a team of competent persons and gas-free technicians under the direction of NFPA standards and marine chemist.
Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.

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.

Safety manager vs health & safety officer skills

Common safety manager skills

OSHA, 13%
Safety Program, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%
Safety Training, 4%
Safety Policies, 4%
Safety Regulations, 3%

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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Safety Manager vs Health & Safety Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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