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The differences between safety specialists and project 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 project safety manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a project safety manager has an average salary of $100,955, 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 project safety manager are OSHA, safety program, and project safety.
| Safety Specialist | Project Safety Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $57,905 | $100,955 |
| Hourly rate | $27.84 | $48.54 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 16,355 | 111,653 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| 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.
Project Safety Managers are responsible for ensuring the project workplace environment adheres to health and safety standards. Their duties include coordinating safety meetings, conducting audits, performing site inspections, implementing corrective action, and coordinating compliance training sessions. They are responsible for creating an emergency action plan, becoming primary contact for any site injuries and case management, and maintains an inspection log. Project Safety Managers also administer project budgeting, coordinate invoices, reporting project status, and attends team meetings.
Safety specialists and project safety managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Safety Specialist | Project Safety Manager | |
| Average salary | $57,905 | $100,955 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $87,000 | Between $72,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Chevron | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a safety specialist and a project safety manager in terms of educational background:
| Safety Specialist | Project Safety Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | - |
Here are the differences between safety specialists' and project safety managers' demographics:
| Safety Specialist | Project Safety Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.3% Female, 30.7% | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% |
| 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, 4.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 4% |