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The differences between safety specialists and health & safety officers 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 specialist and a health & safety officer. Additionally, a safety specialist has an average salary of $57,905, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.
The top three skills for a safety specialist include OSHA, develop corrective action and safety program. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,905 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $27.84 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 16,355 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
Safety specialists and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $57,905 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $87,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Chevron | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a safety specialist and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | - |
Here are the differences between safety specialists' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |