Safety by the Numbers

Aug. 17, 2021
Results from the National Safety & Salary Survey 2021.

Editor's Note: You can read an in-depth article on the survey results here

In summer 2021, EHS Today conducted a survey of our readership. We received fully completed responses from 900 EHS professionals. It’s gratifying to see such a high degree of interest in participation from the safety community, so a big thank you to all of you who took the time to respond.

We've changed the name of the survey slightly to the 2021 National Safety and Salary Survey because we’ve expanded the scope of the survey to include detailed salary and demographic results. We feel this offers a bigger (and better) picture of the industry. We hope you agree, though we're always open to feedback. 

It’s fascinating to see what happens when we crunch the numbers. One thing we can do is develop a composite portrait of what exactly a “typical safety leader” looks like, acknowledging from the outset that there’s really no such person.

Based on the most frequent responses to our various demographic questions, the typical safety leader has the job title of EHS manager, is a white male in his 50s, lives in the Midwest, has more than 20 years of experience, works for a manufacturing company, and earns $93,243 per year (and did not receive a bonus last year).

Click through the slideshow to take a deeper dive into the responses and find out a lot more about what safety professionals do and earn, then let us know your experiences in the comments section below.

More findings from the survey:

About the Author

Dave Blanchard | Editor-in-Chief / Senior Director of Content

During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. Prior to joining Endeavor/Informa/Penton, he spent a decade covering the artificial intelligence industry. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University. 

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