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The differences between senior 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 senior safety specialist and a health & safety officer. Additionally, a senior safety specialist has an average salary of $70,067, which is higher than the $56,507 average annual salary of a health & safety officer.
The top three skills for a senior safety specialist include OSHA, corrective action and EHS. The most important skills for a health & safety officer are OSHA, site safety, and em-385.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,067 | $56,507 |
| Hourly rate | $33.69 | $27.17 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,706 | 115,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior safety specialist is in charge of designing and developing safety measures and protocols in a company. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding every procedure and operations, identifying and assessing risks, examining existing safety policies to determine areas needing improvement, and implementing the company's safety policies and regulations. They may also investigate incidents and devise strategies to prevent them from happening again. Furthermore, as a senior safety specialist, it is essential to serve as a mentor to other safety officers, assisting them in creating programs to maintain a safe and productive work environment.
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.
Senior safety specialists and health & safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $70,067 | $56,507 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $108,000 | Between $37,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Arkema | 24M Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a senior safety specialist and a health & safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | - |
Here are the differences between senior safety specialists' and health & safety officers' demographics:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Health & Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% | Male, 79.7% Female, 20.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.4% 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% |