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The differences between safety specialists and health and safety managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a safety specialist, becoming a health and safety manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a health and safety manager has an average salary of $85,606, which is higher than the $57,905 average annual salary of a safety specialist.
The top three skills for a safety specialist include OSHA, develop corrective action and safety program. The most important skills for a health and safety manager are EHS, corrective action, and safety program.
| Safety Specialist | Health And Safety Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $57,905 | $85,606 |
| Hourly rate | $27.84 | $41.16 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 16,355 | 71,325 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Safety specialists examine various types of work procedures and environments. They observe if workplaces stick to the regulations on health, safety, and the environment. Also, they create programs to prevent injury or disease to workers and harm to the environment. Their duties include identifying hazards at the workplace and collecting samples of potentially toxic materials for examination. Another task they do is conduct training on emergency preparedness. Additionally, they explore and identify the causes of an accident to determine their preventative measures.
Health and Safety Managers oversee the company's compliance with occupational health and safety guidelines set by both governing bodies and company policies. They create company policies based on guidelines released by regulatory bodies. They also ensure that everyone follows these policies in the office. Health and safety managers are in charge of inspecting the workplace and ensuring no health hazards in the area. They are also in charge of signing off on materials and equipment used in the office to ensure that they are safe to use. Health and Safety Managers train health and safety officers to ensure that the same standard is applied to the department.
Safety specialists and health and safety managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Specialist | Health And Safety Manager | |
| Average salary | $57,905 | $85,606 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $87,000 | Between $62,000 And $117,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Louisiana |
| Best paying company | Chevron | The Walt Disney Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a safety specialist and a health and safety manager in terms of educational background:
| Safety Specialist | Health And Safety Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between safety specialists' and health and safety managers' demographics:
| Safety Specialist | Health And Safety Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 4% |