Safety manager vs risk manager

The differences between safety managers and risk 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 manager, becoming a risk manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a risk manager has an average salary of $116,072, which is higher than the $74,754 average annual salary of a safety manager.

The top three skills for a safety manager include OSHA, safety program and safety procedures. The most important skills for a risk manager are oversight, risk assessments, and project management.

Safety manager vs risk manager overview

	Safety Manager	Risk Manager
Yearly salary	$74,754	$116,072
Hourly rate	$35.94	$55.80
Growth rate	4%	17%
Number of jobs	16,155	75,795
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	42	46
Years of experience	2	8

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 risk manager do?

A risk manager is responsible for analyzing potential risks that may affect the organization's operations, reputation, and market credibility. Risk managers identify risk controls and discuss business contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances to prevent delays in operational services. They also develop compliance training and programs for all the employees to provide them the awareness of the safety and security regulations within the company premises. A risk manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially on handling and investigating cases that might compromise the business stability and financial status.

Safety manager vs risk manager salary

Safety managers and risk managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Safety Manager	Risk Manager
Average salary	$74,754	$116,072
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $115,000	Between $84,000 And $160,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Credit Karma
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between safety manager and risk manager education

There are a few differences between a safety manager and a risk manager in terms of educational background:

	Safety Manager	Risk Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Safety manager vs risk manager demographics

Here are the differences between safety managers' and risk managers' demographics:

	Safety Manager	Risk Manager
Average age	42	46
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%
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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 10.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	4%	11%

Differences between safety manager and risk manager 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.

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Risk manager example responsibilities.

Lead team in addressing Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and SAS70 compliance and control mandates.
Develop procedures and policies to manage site implementation of successful JD Edwards ERP system.
Direct staff, manage A/R and reconciliations, petty cash disbursements and tracking of all incoming claims and payments.
Manage the loan loss receivables SAS data mart, document change initiatives, implement SAS coding changes and process ongoing updates.
Manage accounting procedures and general ledger reconciliations.
Lead SOX project planning and implementation, successfully implement the corporate governance policies and internal control framework.

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Safety manager vs risk manager skills

Common safety manager skills

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

Common risk manager skills

Oversight, 10%
Risk Assessments, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Portfolio, 5%
Strong Analytical, 4%
Operational Risk, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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