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The differences between senior safety specialists and safety inspectors 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 safety inspector. Additionally, a senior safety specialist has an average salary of $70,067, which is higher than the $48,765 average annual salary of a safety inspector.
The top three skills for a senior safety specialist include OSHA, corrective action and EHS. The most important skills for a safety inspector are OSHA, safety procedures, and safety inspections.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $70,067 | $48,765 |
| Hourly rate | $33.69 | $23.44 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,706 | 30,193 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| 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 safety inspector is in charge of performing inspections to ensure that workplaces comply with the company or government's safety standards and regulations. Their responsibilities include inspecting tools and equipment, reviewing documents and specifications, assessing the workforce performances and conditions, observing facilities, and ensuring that employees have protective gear and safety measure knowledge. Moreover, a safety inspector utilizes the findings of their observation to recommend methods that will help workplaces maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone. They may also investigate workplace incidents to keep them from happening again.
Senior safety specialists and safety inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average salary | $70,067 | $48,765 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $108,000 | Between $34,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Arkema | Volkert |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a senior safety specialist and a safety inspector in terms of educational background:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | - |
Here are the differences between senior safety specialists' and safety inspectors' demographics:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Inspector | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% |
| 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |