Post job

Safety officer vs civil engineer

The differences between safety officers and civil engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a safety officer and a civil engineer. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $46,336 average annual salary of a safety officer.

The top three skills for a safety officer include OSHA, patients and patrol. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.

Safety officer vs civil engineer overview

Safety OfficerCivil Engineer
Yearly salary$46,336$70,950
Hourly rate$22.28$34.11
Growth rate6%7%
Number of jobs68,48726,803
Job satisfaction55
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4541
Years of experience66

What does a safety officer do?

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.

What does a civil engineer do?

A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.

Safety officer vs civil engineer salary

Safety officers and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Safety OfficerCivil Engineer
Average salary$46,336$70,950
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $73,000Between $51,000 And $97,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyAmgenThe Citadel
Best paying industryGovernmentConstruction

Differences between safety officer and civil engineer education

There are a few differences between a safety officer and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:

Safety OfficerCivil Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorBusinessCivil Engineering
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - BakersfieldUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Safety officer vs civil engineer demographics

Here are the differences between safety officers' and civil engineers' demographics:

Safety OfficerCivil Engineer
Average age4541
Gender ratioMale, 78.8% Female, 21.2%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%5%

Differences between safety officer and civil engineer duties and responsibilities

Safety officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage safety coordination with EHS and owner representatives.
  • Manage and facilitate extensive Safety/Security and HAZMAT training for all personnel.
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations to include OSHA and NFPA guidelines.
  • Prepare clients for ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification.
  • Maintain cleanliness of all equipment for maintenance and inspections.
  • Give applicants full CDL exam and submit appropriate paperwork to DDS.
  • Show more

Civil engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
  • Manage project programming requirements and manage HVAC design activities.
  • Project manage the overall reorganizing and restructuring of the telecommunication department.
  • Design engineer and project manager for HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems.
  • Support and troubleshoot Hewlett Packard printers, servers, switches, thin clients, and Cisco phone systems.
  • Handle and continuously update project documentation as as-built records and construction record reports.
  • Show more

Safety officer vs civil engineer skills

Common safety officer skills
  • OSHA, 8%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Patrol, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • Safety Program, 5%
  • Risk Management, 4%
Common civil engineer skills
  • Civil 3D, 11%
  • Engineering Design, 7%
  • Cost Estimates, 7%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Construction Projects, 4%
  • Engineering Projects, 4%

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs