by Brianna Crandall — September 4, 2015—A 2015 American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) survey of more than 9,000 occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals reveals they earn an annual base salary on average of $98,000, an increase of $8,000 since the survey was taken two years ago.
The survey found professionals with at least one of the 11 certifications measured in the survey make on average of over $14,000 more annually than a professional without one of these certifications, and over $30,000 more annually than the typical Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, according to the number reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
For example, on average, a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) earns $109,000 annually, while a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) earns $110,000 annually.
“This survey validates the earning power of OSH professionals,” said ASSE President Michael Belcher, CSP. “I hope it encourages people within the industry or those thinking of pursuing an OSH career to seek accredited education programs to maximize their earning potential in such a dynamic field.”
Survey findings further paint the picture of the OSH professional as primarily male, with 30% entering practice due to earning an OSH degree, and roughly half maintaining supervisory responsibility. OSH professionals travel 20% of the time, with 64% regularly working out of a facility/office, and they report up primarily to operations/production (25%), followed by risk management (14%) and human resources (HR)/administration (11%).
The ASSE survey results are part of an expansive collaboration with the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP), American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM).
The complete results from the 2015 survey, in addition to an interactive calculator, are available online from the ASSE Salary Survey Web page.
