Good news for safety managers who hold certification in the field: A new survey says you’re likely making more money than safety managers who aren’t certified. And safety manager salaries are up overall from two years ago.
Six safety and industrial hygienist associations partnered on the survey and received responses from 9,258 practitioners.
The median 2015 salary in the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) industry was $98,000.
The median salary among those who said they don’t have a license/credentials was $83,100, compared to $105,000 for those who hold either a Certificate in Industrial Hygiene (CIH) or are a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
The most tenured (25+ years experience) in SH&E earned a median salary of $112,000. Those veteran employees with no license/credential earned $100,000. Those with a CIH earned $115,000 and with a CSP earned $118,300.
The medians for SH&E employees with less than five years of experience range from $64,300 to $71,500.
Overall, SH&E salaries increase by an average of $8,000 from when the survey was last done, two years ago.
Leaders from the six associations that partnered for the survey put emphasis on the salary benefit of having certification.
“The results from this industry survey highlight the positive impact that having a license or credential can have on an individual’s professional development and overall compensation,” said American Industrial Hygiene Association Executive Director Peter O’Neil.
“I hope [the survey] encourages people within the industry or those thinking of pursuing an OSH career to seek accredited education programs to maximize their earning potential,” said American Society of Safety Engineers President Michael Belcher.
Some other findings from the survey:
- The SH&E field is still “primarily male”
- 30% entered the field after earning an OSH degree
- On average they travel 20% of the time, and
- 25% report to operations/product, 14% to risk management and 11% to HR/admin.
Besides AIHA and ASSE, the other four participating associations were:
- American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH)
- Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP)
- Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), and
- Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM).
