Safety manager vs safety director

The differences between safety managers and safety directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a safety manager and a safety director. Additionally, a safety director has an average salary of $85,687, 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 safety director are OSHA, DOT, and safety procedures.

Safety manager vs safety director overview

	Safety Manager	Safety Director
Yearly salary	$74,754	$85,687
Hourly rate	$35.94	$41.20
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	16,155	19,507
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

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 safety director do?

A safety director is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the business and its employees, enforcing strict safety standards, and facilitating safety drills and programs to avoid potential hazards within the office's premises. Safety directors inspect the building's premises, including the office's equipment and other systems, and perform immediate actions even for the smallest inconsistencies. They also create incident and audit reports to discuss with the management and implement or adjust regulations as needed.

Safety manager vs safety director salary

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

	Safety Manager	Safety Director
Average salary	$74,754	$85,687
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $115,000	Between $55,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Genentech
Best paying industry	Energy	Construction

Differences between safety manager and safety director education

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

	Safety Manager	Safety Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Safety manager vs safety director demographics

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

	Safety Manager	Safety Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2%
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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between safety manager and safety director 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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Safety director example responsibilities.

Manage institutional compliance with OSHA, EPA, DEP, JCAHO, AOA, NFPA, and other regulatory authorities.
Lead and manage ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 internal, third party, customer and supplier audits for the group.
Manage HSE programs for a national corporation specializing in concrete product manufacturing.
Conduct routine health, safety and environmental inspections in accordance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910, EPA and NFPA standards.
Indoctrinate and train new employees in CPR, and basic first aid.
Teach CPR, first aid, blood borne pathogens and baby sitting classes.

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Safety manager vs safety director skills

Common safety manager skills

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

Common safety director skills

OSHA, 13%
DOT, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%
PET, 5%
Patients, 5%
Safety Policies, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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