A safety manager ensures workplace safety, with the goal of reducing injury and related legal issues. This role is found in many different industries, including in outdoor settings; for example, safety managers commonly are needed on construction sites where manual labor and the operation of heavy machinery occur. A typical day in the role of a safety manager may be split among working on a site to oversee a project or it may be conducted in an office, making calls, and resolving certain health and safety issues that may be holding up a project.

A safety manager must be well versed in the legal implications of injury and prevention tactics that help avoid injury or physical loss due to accident. They also need to be familiar with health and safety rules, and they will work closely with managerial staff to implement current guidelines for particular projects. The job of the safety manager is to enforce guidelines at all times, and also to be intuitive and able to spot potential errors of judgement early on. For this reason, it's essential that a safety manager has an eye for detail and an ability to show good judgement in pressured situations.

Safety managers typically need a bachelor's degree in environmental or engineering fields; a degree with an emphasis on logistics is viewed favorably. This is a job that requires a high level of personal awareness and common sense, and applicants typically need experience in the field of safety management. Experience with hazardous materials is also preferred, as many safety-management roles deal with bulk shipments/cargo and construction. (Copyright 2018 PayScale.com)

Safety Manager Tasks

• Participate in the development of safety and health policies, practices and procedures.
• Ensure company compliance with all applicable laws governing environmental health and safety.
• Conduct and coordinate safety inspections.
• Lead the investigation of accidents and injuries, and cooperate in the preparation of material for hearings and insurance investigations.
• Design and train all levels of employees.

Seattle is home to an above-average pay rate for Safety Managers, 16 percent higher than the national average. Safety Managers can also look forward to large paychecks in cities like Houston (+14 percent), Dallas (+14 percent), Orlando (+13 percent), and Chicago (+11 percent). Pittsburgh is the lowest-paying area, 8 percent south of the national average. Two other places where employers offer below-median salaries are San Antonio (6 percent less) and Indianapolis (4 percent less).