Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in 2018

Occupational health and safety specialists positions tend to offer a variable hourly rate based on the location you are applying for. For instance, the average annual salary in the United States is approximately $73,600. However, the rate in Canada is only C$63,500 (approximately $48,708) annually. The purpose of our article is to help you learn how much this position pays for your area. We will also be looking at other determining factors like your experience level and general business sector pay differences.

How Much Do Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Make Per Year?

Factors That Influence The Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary

When it comes to salaries for health and safety specialists, the pay rate can vary significantly from country to country. Sites like Payscale and the Bureau of Labor Statistics website provide valuable salary information for each area. In addition to the geographic area, we will cover the other common determining factors in greater detail further below.

1. Geographic Area

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in the US

In the United States, the average earnings for an occupational health and safety specialist equate to $35.38 an hour or $73,600 in a year. In addition, the hourly rate can vary slightly on a state by state basis. For instance, California and Rhode Island both offer a higher average hourly rate of $40.72 and $44.52 respectively.

Even though it doesn’t pass the $100,000 mark, this still is one of the highest paying jobs in the medical field in the US.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in Canada

For Canada, the median earnings for an occupational health and safety specialist tend to fall around C$63,500 annually. As an hourly rate, that equates to C$24.88. Other factors like experience can further increase the base hourly rate and will be discussed in greater detail in the next section.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in the UK

The U.K. tends to pay its health and safety specialists rather well with a median yearly salary of approximately £21,750. Expressed as an hourly rate, this equates to roughly £11.57. In addition, this rate can also be influenced by the particular area that the worker lives in. Bigger cities and areas will tend to offer a slightly higher starting pay rate.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in Australia

Compared to the United States, Australia tends to offer the second highest median starting rate with an annual salary of approximately AU$83,879. This equals out to approximately AU$37.16 per hour. In addition, certain popular areas like Sydney and Brisbane may offer a slightly higher base starting rate.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in New Zealand

New Zealand regularly employs a wide range of occupational health and safety specialists across various business sectors. The average annual earnings for a worker in this field of expertise is around NZ$72,818 per year. As an hourly rate, this equates to roughly NZ$25.73 per hour.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in India

The average earnings for occupational health and safety specialists tended to be the lowest in India. The median yearly earnings equate to roughly Rs 944,287. Per hour, this is roughly Rs 453.98. However, this is still fairly high when compared to the average cost of living in the area.

Occupational Health and Safety Specialists Salary in South Africa

South Africa offered the second lowest median pay rate for this position with yearly median earnings of approximately R494,307. When calculated on an hourly basis, this equals out to roughly R237.65 per hour. Just like India, the starting rate is fairly high compared to the average costs of living for the area.

2. Experience

Experience is likely the second biggest factor that will drastically impact your earnings as an occupational health and safety specialist. Generally speaking, most workers begin their careers with 20 years of experience in a particular field or business sector. Workers with even more experience or specializations can expect to earn more each year. For example, entry-level positions in Canada start around C$61,414 and the most experienced positions pay around C$76,890 per year.

3. Industry

The industry that you work in can also impact your base salary as well. For example, workers employed at the federal level in the United States tend to earn around $39.57 an hour. This drops slightly when working for local government agencies with base earnings of approximately $30.67 an hour. In the private sector, the pay ranges anywhere from $35.13 to $40.42 an hour.

4. Working Hours

In most cases, occupational health and safety specialists tend to work a fairly reliable schedule that ranges from Monday to Friday. However, events like accidents can drastically alter your given work schedule. In the event of such an emergency, longer shifts are often required with copious amounts of overtime available until the situation has been dealt with.

Bonuses and Benefit Packages

This position is often entitled to a range of performance-based bonuses and benefits. For example, Canadian positions can pay up to $11,401 in bonuses each year. These bonuses are often tied to decreases in accident levels and other relevant statistics. This position also comes with additional benefits like 401k, health insurance, and paid time off.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is considered to be fairly stable in nature. However, it’s important to note that the average annual growth rate for this position is only four percent. This is due to the fact that this position requires copious amounts of industry-relevant experience and training to be successful.

Conclusion

Although the occupational health and safety specialist position requires a lot of experience and training, it’s a great job that pays well and comes with a wide range of benefits. The job outlook for the position is likely to remain stable in the near future and there will always be a need for experienced workers in specialized business sectors like healthcare and manufacturing.