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What is a plant safety leader and how to become one
The working environment in most plants is inherently risky, which entails the need for a plant safety leader. A plant safety leader is an individual who is responsible for ensuring that the plant follows all safety policies and regulations, thus helping prevent workplace accidents and non-compliance issues.
The job duties of a plant safety leader include assessing plant safety practices, developing work safety programs, educating employees about workplace safety, and coordinating legal safety compliance with the management. Furthermore, their responsibilities may involve investigating incidents, generating safety reports, and submitting maintenance notifications for equipment.
Some employers may only require a high school diploma for this role, but most prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree in business, occupational safety and health, management, or another similar field. An aspiring plant safety leader must also have a deep understanding of OSHA regulations, industry safety practices, personal protective equipment, and local occupational safety laws. Because they are so crucial to operations and the safety of all plant workers, plant safety leaders make around $93,000 per year, on average.
What general advice would you give to a Plant Safety Leader?
Wesley Tinker
Assistant Professor of Safety, University of Central Missouri
Avg. Salary $75,374
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 6%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.23%
Asian 5.80%
Black or African American 9.72%
Hispanic or Latino 14.93%
Unknown 6.08%
White 62.24%
Genderfemale 22.24%
male 77.76%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Plant Safety Leader career paths
Key steps to become a plant safety leader
Explore plant safety leader education requirements
Start to develop specific plant safety leader skills
Skills 
Percentages OSHA 9.09% Continuous Improvement 7.68% Safety Audits 6.95% Safety Procedures 5.62% Safety Regulations 4.91% Complete relevant plant safety leader training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New plant safety leaders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a plant safety leader based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real plant safety leader resumes.Research plant safety leader duties and responsibilities
- Manage SPCC and stormwater program and perform stormwater sampling.
- Lead development of a comprehensive program for maximizing past PSM consulting investments and assessment activities.
- Train employees in LOTO procedures, maintain training records.
- Execute these plans from start to finish with documentation, help safety department comply with OSHA compliance.
Get plant safety leader experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a plant safety leader. The most common roles before becoming a plant safety leader include safety manager, safety supervisor team lead and safety coordinator.Prepare your plant safety leader resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your plant safety leader resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a plant safety leader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
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Apply for plant safety leader jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a plant safety leader job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Plant Safety Leader Job
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Average plant safety leader salary
The average Plant Safety Leader salary in the United States is $75,374 per year or $36 per hour. Plant safety leader salaries range between $45,000 and $124,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do plant safety leaders rate their job?
Plant Safety Leader reviews
You have the satisfaction of keeping the employees safe and you know that higher management gives you support. If you go through an OSHA inspection you are confident that you've done your due diligence.
It takes time to implement and see the safety culture grow.
Working with leadership and taking part in creating a safer work environment through physical changes in the plant as well as a heavy focus on behavioral based safety. I enjoy training others and being tasked with difficult questions that require research and a follow up. I'm slowly becoming an expert in specific policies and standards set by our company, government agencies, and other industry standards.
I've got limited official background in OSH and find it difficult to navigate the corporate environment to find answers at times. Knowing who to include in what meetings and information sharing sessions has been somewhat of a challenge as well.
Nobody loves to die but I guess its inevitable,working as a safety officer you must be ready for anything.
Updated January 8, 2025
