What is a safety consultant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Expert

Wesley Tinker

A safety consultant is an individual who provides advice and recommendations to organizations regarding safety measures and compliance with regulations. They evaluate workplace conditions, identify potential hazards, and develop strategies to mitigate risks and ensure a safe working environment. Safety consultants may also conduct training sessions for employees on safety protocols, investigate accidents or incidents, and make recommendations for improvements. They work across various industries, including construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation, among others.

What general advice would you give to a Safety Consultant?

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 ConsultantUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $72,011

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.2

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 9.60%

Black or African American 4.97%

Hispanic or Latino 12.22%

Unknown 3.98%

White 69.05%

Gender

female 18.03%

male 81.97%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress Level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Safety Consultant?

Pros

Opportunity to work with a variety of industries
Chance to make a positive impact on workplace safety
Potential for high earning with experience
Continuous learning and professional development
High demand for safety consultants in the job market

Cons

High level of responsibility and accountability
Can be stressful dealing with potential dangers and safety risks
Need for constant attention to detail and patience
Involves long hours or overtime during urgent projects or deadlines
Requires strong communication and interpersonal skills to work with clients and employees

Key steps to become a safety consultant

Explore safety consultant education requirements

Most common safety consultant degrees

Bachelor's

61.3 %

Associate

15.8 %

Master's

11.5 %

Start to develop specific safety consultant skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	13.29%
EHS	7.09%
Safety Procedures	5.49%
Safety Audits	3.84%
Safety Program	3.81%

Complete relevant safety consultant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New safety consultants 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 consultant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real safety consultant resumes.

Research safety consultant duties and responsibilities

Maintain and manage air and water permits for multiple industrial and commercial sites in accordance with EPA regulations.
Manage financial oversight and budget management including financial modeling and analysis, new products, travel, tools, and scheduling.
Perform facility and construction site audits confirming OSHA regulatory compliance, and ensuring occupational exposure limits are not exceed.
Provide regulatory compliance expertise for various customer markets in regard to EHS programs including industrial hygiene, environmental and safety programs.

Prepare your safety consultant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your safety consultant 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 consultant 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 Consultant Resume templates

Build a professional Safety Consultant 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 Consultant resume.

Apply for safety consultant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a safety consultant 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 do safety consultants rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Safety Consultant reviews

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.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Cons

It needs more patience to apply the true solution and satisfy your client

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

What is a safety consultant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Safety Consultant?

What are the pros and cons of being a Safety Consultant?

Safety Consultant career paths

Key steps to become a safety consultant

Explore safety consultant education requirements

Most common safety consultant degrees

Start to develop specific safety consultant skills

Complete relevant safety consultant training and internships

Research safety consultant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your safety consultant resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Safety Consultant Resume templates

Apply for safety consultant jobs

How Did You Land Your First Safety Consultant Job

Average safety consultant salary

How do safety consultants rate their job?

Safety Consultant reviews