What is a safety advisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Wesley Tinker

Safety advisors assess, design, plan, and implement overall safety to get rid of risks and harm in the work environment. You will review protective and safety measures to reduce accidents, injuries, or loss of property.

A security advisor helps to maintain the occupational health and safety management system of an organization. You will also provide advice and solutions to safety challenges. Furthermore, you will assist your company in meeting up legal requirements to become safety certified.

Security advisors investigate accidents and work on ways to prevent such occurrences in the future. They create safety awareness through regular training and talk sessions. A diploma in a related field is required for this role. It is also important to possess a formally recognized OHS certification.

Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills are needed for this role. You must have a keen eye for detail, possess interpersonal skills, and be able to work with people. A safety advisor earns $69,560 averagely per year.

What general advice would you give to a Safety Advisor?

W

Wesley Tinker

Assistant Professor of Safety, University of Central Missouri

- The day-to-day duties of a Safety Professional depend on the industry they currently work in but also the level of tenure they have in the organization. There is a long list of duties but the following allow for a broad sweep across an average day. The schedule of a typical workday could start with a toolbox talk which allows for a brief 'heads-up' to a vast array of safety-related topics or issues that workers have the possibility of seeing on-site. Field audits would be another crucial duty to examine the site for new safety-related issues and to monitor controls set on previously identified hazards. Conducting pieces of training for new workers and/or updates on safety-related issues on their site. Accident investigations are one of the random unexpected duties a Safety Professional might conduct, which is important in the prevention of future injuries and illnesses. Providing good customer service toward the workers and management but also the organization's vendors is critical for nearly all aspects of that company. Customer service is closely connected to the culture of the company as the majority of industry leaders provide a 'Safety First' environment. Overall, the Safety Professional provides many attributes to the day-to-day functions of many organizations. These attributes directly impact that company's stance in the overall global marketplace.
ScoreSafety AdvisorUS Average
Salary
4.4

Avg. Salary $55,939

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.9

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.23%

Asian 5.68%

Black or African American 10.12%

Hispanic or Latino 14.34%

Unknown 6.19%

White 62.45%

Gender

female 15.82%

male 84.18%

Age - 45
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45
Stress Level
7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Safety Advisor career paths

Key steps to become a safety advisor

  1. Explore safety advisor education requirements

    Most common safety advisor degrees

    Bachelor's

    50.9 %

    Associate

    20.4 %

    High School Diploma

    10.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific safety advisor skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    OSHA8.97%
    Risk Assessments5.66%
    Safety Procedures5.66%
    Related Training4.49%
    Corrective Action4.36%
  3. Complete relevant safety advisor training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New safety advisors 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 safety advisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real safety advisor resumes.
  4. Research safety advisor duties and responsibilities

    • Work with engineering team and local fire department to achieve NFPA and API standards.
    • Lead cross functional team on FMEA analysis, root cause analysis to improve the existing process.
    • Implement and administer OSHA safety compliance program.
    • Improve standardization of EHS programs including documentation, procedures and training.
  5. Prepare your safety advisor resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your safety advisor 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 safety advisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Safety Advisor Resume templates

    Build a professional Safety Advisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Safety Advisor resume.
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  6. Apply for safety advisor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a safety advisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Safety Advisor Job

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Average safety advisor salary

The average Safety Advisor salary in the United States is $55,939 per year or $27 per hour. Safety advisor salaries range between $34,000 and $89,000 per year.

Average Safety Advisor Salary
$55,939 Yearly
$26.89 hourly

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How do safety advisors rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Safety Advisor reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros

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.

Cons

It takes time to implement and see the safety culture grow.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Cons

Contractors who don't implement Safety rules. Make sure all Employees understand all safety standards

Pros

Saving lives


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

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.

Cons

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.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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