How To Become A Safety Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a safety instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

David McMahan Ph.D.

Safety instructors are responsible for designing, planning, organizing, or directing orientation and training programs for employees or customers. They keep up with developments in their area of expertise by reading current journals, books, or magazine articles while developing alternative training methods if expected improvements are not seen. They also monitor, evaluate, or record training activities or program effectiveness. Safety instructors earn an average salary of $37,000 annually or $18 per hour.

Safety instructors also design and conduct training and development programs to improve individual and organizational performance. They may analyze training needs and present information using a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role-playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures. They also schedule classes based on the availability of classrooms, equipment, or instructors.

Safety instructors typically hold a bachelor's degree in human resources development or a related field. They are expected to have some years of experience in a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates with excellent communication, interpersonal, and analytical skills.

What general advice would you give to a Safety Instructor?

David McMahan Ph.D.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.

ScoreSafety InstructorUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,977

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 5.75%

Black or African American 9.95%

Hispanic or Latino 14.70%

Unknown 6.21%

White 62.16%

Gender

female 31.56%

male 68.44%

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

Key steps to become a safety instructor

Explore safety instructor education requirements

Most common safety instructor degrees

Bachelor's

52.0 %

Associate

21.4 %

Master's

9.4 %

Start to develop specific safety instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	21.24%
Customer Service	13.20%
PowerPoint	9.43%
Course Materials	8.54%
Safety Courses	6.71%

Complete relevant safety instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New safety instructors 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 instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real safety instructor resumes.

Research safety instructor duties and responsibilities

Manage and facilitate extensive Safety/Security and HAZMAT training for all personnel.
Instruct various types of offshore safety course including firefighting, forklift safety, water survival, and CPR
Develop and present PowerPoint presentations.
Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.

Prepare your safety instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your safety instructor 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 instructor 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 Instructor Resume templates

Build a professional Safety Instructor 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 Instructor resume.

Apply for safety instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a safety instructor 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 instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Safety Instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Cons

Nobody loves to die but I guess its inevitable,working as a safety officer you must be ready for anything.