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Reader panel - Salary survey results |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 14 May 2003 |
A new fiscal year is upon us, so we thought it might be time to ask our readers about their job tasks and salaries. While this isn't a comprehensive survey of all occupational health and safety professionals in Canada, it shows a good cross-section of our readers and the work they're paid to do. Here's what our 167 respondents had to say:
1. Is occupational health and safety your full-time responsibility?
Yes.....65%
No.....35%
2. If yes, in what range is your salary?
25k-30k.....2%
31k-35k.....1%
36k-40k.....4%
41k-50k.....18%
51k-55k.....21%
56k-60k.....11%
61k-65k.....9%
66k-70k.....8%
71k-75k.....8%
76k-80k.....4%
81k-99k.....9%
100k+.....5%
3. Please comment on whether you think your salary is based on your education, training, experience, etc..
Not surprisingly, the majority of respondents said "all of the above." Others added that their salaries are based on other factors such as certification, a bargained rate under a collective agreement, or an HR salary survey of professionals in similar industries.
Other comments:
· "None of the above."
· "I think my salary is based on my employer's perception of my education, training and experience, not on the potential benefits of these factors."
· "...This is not a salaried job. I am paid on an hourly basis. Therefore my wage is based on working long, hard hours."
· "It's based on the position I held when I came to this job, but I haven't had a raise in several years."
· "Salary is low for seven plus years of post secondary school education and 35 years experience."
· "My salary is based upon the fact that I was a professional engineer before taking over health and safety. It has not stopped the company from freezing my salary as they do not consider the position of real value."
4. Do you feel that you receive a fair, competitive salary for the type of work you do?
Yes.....53%
No.....47%
5. Which of these tasks do you perform? (Respondents were asked to check all that applied).
Managing workers' compensation claim files.....41%
Representing the company at compensation hearings and tribunals.....32%
Environmental management.....38%
Day trips to visit job sites.....54%
Overnight travel.....54%
Managing oh&s in more than one province or country.....20%
Any functions outside of ohs&e (ie. property management).....40%
"Putting out fires".....75%
Designing health and safety program.....77%
Developing new procedures.....84%
Developing safety tasks.....74%
Training.....86%
Besides the already demanding oh&s tasks of inspecting workplaces and writing safety policies and procedures, many of our readers are among the oh&s professionals who wear many hats - lawyer hats, chemist hats, biologist hats, jet-setting hats, professor hats, and Mr-Fix-It hats.
Respondents listed other functions: controlling absenteeism, engineering, evaluating site safety contractors' qualifications, JHSC duties, quality assurance, security, HAZMAT response, occupational health nursing, purchasing safety equipment, full-time medical aid, food safety, wellness, modified work, recruitment, "a lot more," and "too many to mention."
Comments:
· "Due to downsizing and acclimatization, many front-line managers and personnel are expected to perform multiple varied duties across a range of specialties and departments with some being outside of their job scope."
· "The most difficult part of the job is maintaining the line between teaching and encouraging safety and health practices and 'doing for' or 'taking over.'"
· "Never a dull moment with no shortage of work on the horizon."
· "Occupational health and safety is becoming a misnomer as most practitioners now assume a broader responsibility for disability management that may include functions of wellness promotion, sick leave management, etc."
To participate in future surveys, send an e-mail to the editor at
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and ask to join the COS Reader Panel
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