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The differences between senior safety specialists and 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 safety officer. Additionally, a senior safety specialist has an average salary of $70,067, which is higher than the $46,336 average annual salary of a safety officer.
The top three skills for a senior safety specialist include OSHA, corrective action and EHS. The most important skills for a safety officer are OSHA, patients, and patrol.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,067 | $46,336 |
| Hourly rate | $33.69 | $22.28 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 15,706 | 68,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
Senior safety specialists and safety officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average salary | $70,067 | $46,336 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $108,000 | Between $29,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Arkema | Amgen |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a senior safety specialist and a safety officer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Occupational Safety And Health | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between senior safety specialists' and safety officers' demographics:
| Senior Safety Specialist | Safety Officer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.6% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |