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The differences between safety managers and 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 safety officer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a safety manager has an average salary of $74,754, which is higher than the $46,336 average annual salary of a safety officer.
The top three skills for a safety manager include OSHA, safety program and safety procedures. The most important skills for a safety officer are OSHA, patients, and patrol.
| Safety Manager | Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $74,754 | $46,336 |
| Hourly rate | $35.94 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,155 | 68,487 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
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.
A safety officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
Safety managers and safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Manager | Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $74,754 | $46,336 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $115,000 | Between $29,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Amgen |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Government |
There are a few differences between a safety manager and a safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Safety Manager | Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between safety managers' and safety officers' demographics:
| Safety Manager | Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 7% |