Where can I earn the most as an HSE professional?

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We’ve said this before – having a passion for your work is important, but this would mean nothing if its compensation doesn’t come close to feeding you and your family. This blog reveals what you can expect to earn, depending on where you are in the world, and the employment landscape for each of the areas we discuss. We focus on three continents specifically – the United Kingdom, Africa and the United States.

Remember: These salary brackets can vary. The information provided here has been compiled from data covering as wide a proportion of the international industry as possible. Also, as we have done in previous blogs, the salaries are annual earnings, and are listed in US dollars for ease of reference.

The United Kingdom

According to new research, the construction and civil engineering sectors in London and the South East currently offer the best opportunities for jobs in the health and safety profession in the UK. Of the nationally advertised health and safety management positions:

29% fell within the construction and civil engineering sectors;
13% in manufacturing;
11% in consulting;
10% in public sector; and
7% in utilities.

Out of all nationally advertised health and safety positions in February and March 2015:

42% were based in London
19% were in the surrounding South East region
17% were in the North of England
12% were in the Midlands;
5% were in the South West and Wales
3% were in Scotland

So who earns what?

$60 000 (was the highest average top-end salaries in construction and civil engineering)
$52 000 (utilities)
$49 000 (consulting)
$43 000 (manufacturing)
$37 000 (public sector with the lowest average top-end salaries on offer)

Africa

In Africa, research showed a wide range in terms of earning potential, particularly in the mining sector. Here’s what you can (more or less) expect to earn when working on this continent, and often in one very specific field. Mining salaries can be very lucrative but vary widely depending on the:

location
size of the company
years of experience
educational qualifications of an employee.

Here are the top ten positions you can expect to fulfil, and their possible earning potential.

Position	Earning potential	Details
Project director/drilling operations director	Up to $400 000	A project director provides strategic leadership to a mining project in different stages. A drilling operations director is responsible for the overall planning, direction and execution of drilling operations for a mining organisation.
Project controls and site managers	Up to $350 000	The salaries of mine managers, technical services managers and drilling operations managers, which are the other key managerial positions in the core mining industry, range between $200 000 and $280 000.
Engineers	Up to $240 000	Engineers represent the third highest paid mining jobs. The mining industry also employs civil, mechanical, electrical, and process engineers, whose annual average salaries range between $70 000 and $180 000.
Geologists	Up to $230 000	Mines employ two categories of geologists – mine geologists, who ensure that mining occurs in right places and that good sampling is carried out, and exploration geologists, who are responsible for resource discovery and evaluation.
Metallurgists	Up to $220 000	Metallurgists are employed in the processing sites of mining organisations. With significant years of relevant experience, a metallurgist could be promoted to the positions of process engineer and process manager. Many mining companies employ a principal metallurgist to spearhead research and development in the field.
Geophysicists	Up to $200 000	A geophysicist's role typically involves conducting surveys to locate minerals or ground water as well as detect, monitor and predict seismic, magnetic, electrical and thermal activity in a given earth body.
Occupational health safety and environmental professionals	Up to $190 000	-
Mine supervisors/mill superintendents	Up to $168 000	-
Surveyors	Up to $165 000	Surveyors who measure underground and open-cut mines help the mining organisations maintain a proper mine plan by updating the surface layouts and keeping a record of underground workings.
Operators/technicians/miners	Between $150 000 and $165 000	Different operators engaged in mining operations including mill operators, excavator operators, dump truck operators, bogger operators; technicians including the geological technicians, pit technicians, instrumentation technicians, Heavy Duty (HD) fitters, auto electricians, boiler makers and welders, and metallurgical and laboratory technicians; drillers; and underground miners are generally the tenth highest paid mining employees.

United States

Upon investigation into current vacancies advertised in the United States, you can expect to earn within the following ranges for these positions:

Job title	Pay range
Master data specialist in an HSE division	$85 000–$110 000
EHS specialist	$75 000–80 000
Safety manager	$80 000–$90 000
Environmental specialist	$80 000–$90 000
Turbines manager	$65 000–$100 000
Plant engineer	$70 000–$100 000
HSE manager	$110 000–$130 000
Project engineer	$125 000–$135 000
Safety director	$80 000–$100 000
Safety specialist	$65 000–$75 000
Safety manager	$90 000–$105 000
Manufacturing engineer	$85 000–$115 000
Safety leader	$69 000–$81 000