We worked again with HSW Magazine to produce their annual Salary Survey. Please share with anyone who might be interested in learning more about the state of the market.

1. PAY SURVEY 2012

2. Top tips for salary negotiation
When negotiating salary with a prospective new employer, it’s sure you’ve given it some thought before the interview. You are negotiat-
really important to get the conversation right. Lots of us lack ing and the salary you finally agree is unlikely to be the first figure you
confidence and don’t know how best to approach the topic. It’s mention. So set your starting point in the knowledge that you’re likely
not embarrassing; in fact, it’s a normal part of business and a key part to settle on a lower figure in the end.
of setting the tone between you and your employer. Above all, the most important thing is to agree a figure you’re happy
If possible, wait for a figure to be put to you rather than telling the with. If you follow the tips below, you should ensure you get the right
interviewer what you’re looking for. If you have to quote a figure, make offer, whoever starts the negotiation.
1 4
Know your value — Make sure you know Look at the package as a whole
what you want to be paid. You must know your — Make sure you look beyond the basic salary
target salary and what you would accept. This is and factor in everything that’s important to you,
a negotiation and you may not achieve your ideal such as car allowance, pension, bonus, profit
salary but if you don’t know what you need, how share, holidays, flexible working, support for
can you make sure you get the right offer? training and future career opportunities.
2 5
Research — If you don’t do your research, Don’t be afraid to practise —
how will you know if you’re getting a competitive Find someone to play the part of the employer
offer? What’s the salary range? What have they and encourage them to ask tough, probing
offered in the past? What’s the market rate for a questions.
similar role?
3
In summary: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Be
Keep the upper hand — Make sure the confident. Know your worth. Be realistic. The
interviewer knows you have options. If they are negotiation will have gone well if both sides come
competing with another employer, there’s much away smiling. It’s a great way to start your working
more chance they’ll make the right offer and relationship.
move quickly, so they don’t lose you.
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each week looking for talented health and safety
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SW031012-HSW_Half Page.indd 1 14/11/2012 05:34

3. pay and conditions
Pay hits a higher note
Welcome to the seventh annual survey of health and safety practitioners’
remuneration and conditions from HSW magazine, and the fifth conducted
in conjunction with specialist recruiter Attwood Burton
Since our last annual review
of the pay and conditions of Key findings
health and safety practitioners, ■■ The median annual salary for the benchmark post of a full-time health
the economy has yet to embark on a and safety manager across the economy as a whole is in a range
sustained recovery, with uncertainty at between £40,000 and £42,499, compared to a figure within the £37,500
home and abroad creating a gloomy to £39,999 bracket this time last year.
backdrop. But despite the undoubted ■■ All things being equal, the larger the organisation, the higher the salary
pressures on the profession, a total of a health and safety professional can expect to receive.
844 practitioners have taken the trouble ■■ The proportion of participants subject to a pay cut or freeze over the
to respond to HSW’s 2012 online sur- past 12 months has remained more or less static since our last survey.
vey, the results of which we present in ■■ Median full-time salaries for health and safety managers working in
this supplement. utilities tend to be the highest, with those in the public sector and
As ever, the whole range of job manufacturing among the ones at the bottom of the pile.
roles is covered — from administra- ■■ Despite continued concerns about the state of the economy, a clear
tive assistant to director of health and majority of practitioners feel secure in their current employment, with
safety — in small, medium and large little difference in sentiment between those working in the private
organisations, across a full array of sector and their public sector counterparts.
industries in the private, public and ■■ Full-time male health and safety practitioners continue to receive a
not-for-profit sectors. substantially higher like-for-like salary than their female colleagues.
The research, conducted last ■■ Three-quarters of respondents say they are either “happy” or “very
autumn, covers the 12-month period happy” in their current role, with no discernable difference between
to the end of September 2012. Details the views of those working in the private and public sectors.
of the survey sample are on page VIII.
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hsw pay survey 2012 www.healthandsafetyatwork.com

4. pay and conditions
Salary levels
We ASKED survey respond- — a salary received by 5% of those Given a fair wind, most workers
ents to identify their current polled. One in three workers in HSW’s expect to receive a pay rise at least
annual salary by placing it “top earners” bracket is a freelancer annually. But in these tough economic
within one of 19 bands, each rising in or contractor. times, perhaps such an improvement
steps of £2500. Participants were also should not be taken for granted.
able to state whether they were paid All about the money? HSW’s headline measure of whole-
less than £20,000, or more than Intriguingly, seven full-time employees economy salary awards is given by
£79,999, and were asked to identify the paid less than £20,000 a year told HSW the median increase in basic pay. As
job title that most accurately reflects they are “very happy” in their current set out in Figure 1, over the 12 months
their role from a pre-set list of 12. role, while two workers paid at or above to the end of the survey period, the
mid-point salary increase among all
“Until health and safety is truly integrated into other survey participants, bar freelancers
and contractors, was 1% (zero at the
management functions, it will continue [as] the ‘poor lower quartile and 3% at the upper
quartile) — exactly the same as in 2011.
relation’ with regards to salaries and benefits” To put this into context, the median
whole economy basic pay award over
the 12 months to the end of Octo-
A survey respondent ber 2012, according to pay analysts
XpertHR, was 2.5%.
Taking the sample as a whole, 4% £80,000 (both directors of health and In 2011, we found a marked de-
of all full-time workers receive an an- safety) say they are currently “very cline in the proportion of health and
nual salary below £20,000, with private unhappy” — perhaps bearing out the safety professionals suffering either a
sector workers marginally more likely to old adage that money isn’t everything. reduction in wages or a salary freeze
be paid at this relatively low level than Across the entire sample and compared to 2010. The percentage
their public sector counterparts. It is no across all jobs, the median (mid-point) of employees subject to a pay cut or
surprise that administrators, advisers full-time salary is between £35,000 a standstill in 2012 is broadly similar
and assistants tend to be concentrated and £37,499, compared to £32,500 and to a year ago, though this still means
towards the bottom of the spectrum, £34,999 at the time of our 2011 survey. that more than two-fifths of survey
though three full-time health and safety The lower quartile (the point at or respondents have either had their pay
managers say they are paid less than below which the lowest 25% of sala- frozen or reduced.
£20,000 a year — one in financial ries is located) is within a pay bracket A separate analysis of the wage
services, one in construction and the between £27,500 and £29,999. Con- awards received by freelancers and
other in the hotels and catering sector. versely, the upper quartile (the point at contractors in 2012 produces a median
At the top of the wages pile are or above which the top 25% of salaries of zero, suggesting they are perhaps
those full-time respondents earning can be found) is within a band between wary of putting up fees in an uncertain
an annual wage in excess of £79,999 £45,000 and £47,499. economic climate.
Figure 1: 2012 pay rises (%)
“It’s disappointing that
Pay cut
health and safety
Pay freeze practitioners have received
1% rise
2% rise
a lower salary increase
3% rise than the UK average”
4% rise
5% rise Mark Burton,
6–10% rise director, Attwood Burton
>10% rise
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www.healthandsafetyatwork.com hsw pay survey 2012

5. pay and conditions
Are you paid enough?
Figure 2 presents an analysis of
contractors gives a median annual
base salary of between £45,000 and
“Health and safety
the full-time salaries for employees
working in a range of common
£47,499, putting them second only
to heads of health and safety in the
continues to be
health and safety roles.
The median whole economy
pay stakes.
HSW also asked survey par-
undervalued in times of
salary for the benchmark position of
health and safety manager is within
ticipants whether they are paid
enough; their answers are sum-
economic difficulty. It
a band of £40,000 and £42,499,
compared to a salary between
marised in Figure 3. Within this,
perceptions are interesting; while
is still seen largely as a
£37,500 and £39,999 in 2011.
The median whole -sample
almost half (48%) of health and
safety professionals in the private
support service, rather
salary attached to the full-time
position of a health and safety of-
sector say their pay is sufficient,
bearing in mind their roles and
than an integrated part
ficer is found somewhere in a range
between £27,500 and £29,999 a
responsibilities, in the public sector
this figure falls to just 35%.
of the business, thus it
year, while a head of health and
safety can expect to receive an
Similarly, almost two-thirds
(64%) of public sector practitioners
takes a hit when times
annual salary of between £55,000
and £57,499. Our separate analysis
think they are paid less than they
are worth; this falls to 50% in the
are hard”
of rates paid to freelancers and private sector. A survey respondent
Figure 2: Median annual full-time salary bandings by job function
Job function Whole economy (£pa) Private sector (£pa) Public sector (£pa)
Health and safety officer £27,500–£29,999 £27,500–£29,999 £27,500–£29,999
Health and safety adviser £30,000–£32,499 £32,500–£34,999 £30,000–£32,499
Health and safety £35,000–£37,499 £35,000–£37,499 —
consultant
Health and safety £40,000–£42,499 £40,000–£42,499 £37,500–£39,999
manager
Head of health and safety £55,000–£57,499 £55,00–£57,499 —
Figure 3: Pay satisfaction levels
“The gap between public
sector (35%) and private
sector (48%) employees
who think they are paid
enough is a stark one.
Are factors like job
security and pension
Underpaid being factored in?”
Sufficiently paid
Overpaid Alistair Attwood,
director, Attwood Burton
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hsw pay survey 2012 www.healthandsafetyatwork.com

6. pay and conditions
Workplace factors
All things being equal, the is in the £32,500 to £34,499 bracket. Location, location
larger an organisation in terms But where there are between 11 and 50 It’s no surprise there are pronounced
of workforce size, the higher health and safety professionals report- regional salary variations (see Figure
the basic salary a survey participant ing to the respondent, the median sal- 4). Across the sample as a whole,
can expect to receive. So, within an ary is between £45,000 and £47,499. those working overseas can expect
to receive a median annual basic sal-
ary of between £50,000 and £52,499
“Due to the lack of opportunities in the — this relatively generous pay level
possibly includes an element to com-
North West, positions are difficult to find. I now pensate for working abroad.
Within the UK, the South East
have more responsibilities and I’m working for and the East Midlands tend to attract
the highest median salaries (within a
intolerant managers — all for lower pay” range between £37,500 and £39,999),
with the lowest found in Wales (be-
A survey respondent tween £30,000 and £32,499). As well
as marked regional salary variations,
organisation employing between and Budgets also seem to have an differences are also evident when com-
one and 49 people, the median annual influence on pay. For a full-time par- paring rates broken down by industrial
salary for a full-time health and safety ticipant with no allocated health and sector, as Figure 5 indicates.
professional across all job roles is safety budget, the median annual sal- As in 2011, health and safety
between £30,000 and £32,499, while ary is between £32,500 and £34,499. managers in the electricity, gas and
the median annual salary where em- At the opposite end, where a re- water sectors top the pay stakes, with
ployee numbers exceed 1000 is be- spondent manages a budget in excess a median annual salary of between
tween £40,000 and £42,499. of £100,000 a year, the basic salary is £45,000 and £47,999, followed by
There is a similar story when it between £42,500 and £44,499. construction (£42,500 to £44,999) and
comes to the number of health and These findings are to be expected, general services (£40,000 to £42,499).
safety staff that par ticipants are as the greater responsibility, the more Transport and logistics; retail and
responsible for managing. At the mid- senior the employee is likely to be wholesale; manufacturing; and the
point, the annual salary for someone and so the higher the salary they can public sector are at the lower end of
with sole responsibility for the function expect to receive. the pay spectrum.
Figure 4: Regional median salary
bandings for all full-time health
and safety professionals
Figure 5: Median annual salary bandings
by industry (health and safety managers)*
Region Median annual
salary band (£pa)
Industry Health and safety
Overseas £50,000–£52,499 manager (£pa)
South East £37,500–£39,999 Utilities £45,000–£47,499
East Midlands £37,500–£39,999 Construction £42,500–£44,999
North West £35,000–£37,499 General services £40,000–£42,499
South West £35,000–£37,499 Transport and logistics £37,500–£39,999
Scotland £35,000–£37,499 Retail and wholesale £37,500–£39,999
North East £32,500–£34,999 Manufacturing £37,500–£39,999
West Midlands £32,500–£34,999 Public sector £37,500–£39,999
Wales £30,000–£32,499 * For full-time employees
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www.healthandsafetyatwork.com hsw pay survey 2012

7. pay and conditions
Reward and benefits
Basic pay is just one element that, on provisional estimates, the managers, according to our data. The
of an employee’s overall re- full-time median whole-economy gen- median whole-economy salary for a
muneration. Organisations der pay gap in favour of men is 10.5%. full-time employee occupying this posi-
offer staff a variety of benefits in addi- This broad brush figure, however, tion was in a range between £40,000
tion to their salary, with some perks masks some interesting variations, and £42,999. For a man, it also ranged
undoubtedly more desirable than oth- not least in the disparity between the from £40,000 to £42,499. However, on
ers. As HSW has done in previous earnings of male and female health a like-for-like basis, it was between
years, we asked participants whether and safety professionals. £37,500 and £39,999 for a woman.
or not they receive any of the most
common fringe benefits. The battle of the sexes Get qualified
Almost two-fifths (38.9%) of re- Based on the latest figures available Our analysis shows that in general the
spondents receive an annual bonus from the ONS, in 2011 the whole better qualified a health and safety
of some kind, with such payments economy median gross weekly pay professional is, the higher the pay they
more than twice as likely in the private of a full-time health and safety officer can expect to receive (see Figure 6).
sector than in the public sector. More was £608 (£620.90 at the mean aver- Participants holding an MSc can look
than a third of all respondents have age). On the same basis, a man was forward to a median full-time salary of
private health insurance (again this paid £673 (£693.60), while a woman between £45,000 and £47,499 a year.
being more common in the private received just £508.50 (£587.50) — a Those whose highest qualification is
sector) and a shade over a quarter headline gap of almost 25%. a NEBOSH Certificate are paid some-
of all participants are provided with a This disparity is confirmed by where between £27,500 and £29,999.
company car. HSW’s analysis; our 2012 survey As in 2011, however, there are
The percentage of employees elicited responses from 654 men some exceptions. Holders of an NVQ
with access to a final salary pension and 190 women. Taking the same level 4 qualification are paid a median
scheme has remained fairly constant role — a full-time health and safety salary above that received by a degree
over the past year at just over a fifth of officer — the median annual salary holder. This may be explained — at
respondents, though money purchase across the whole sample fell within a least in part — by the fact that the
schemes are now more prevalent band between £27,500 and £29,999. degree route into the health and safety
among health and safety professionals Though this figure was the same as profession has been available for a
than they were in 2011. that paid to men, women received a relatively short period of time com-
The latest Annual Survey of Hours median salary somewhere between pared to other pathways. Less than 2%
and Earnings, published by the Office £25,000 and £27,499. A similar picture of respondents have no formal health
for National Statistics (ONS), found also emerges for health and safety and safety qualification.
Figure 6: Median salary bandings by
highest qualification*
Qualification Median annual “Health and safety
salary band (£pa)
professionals
MSc £45,000–£47,499
are rightly rewarded
Postgraduate Diploma £42,500–£44,999
as they advance
NVQ level 4 £37,500–£39,999
their knowledge via
NEBOSH Diploma (including NEBOSH £35,000–£37,499
Diploma in Environmental Management) academic qualifications”
Degree £35,000–£37,499 Mark Burton,
NEBOSH Construction Certificate £32,500–£34,999 director, Attwood Burton
NEBOSH Certificate £27,500–£29,999
* For full-time employees
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hsw pay survey 2012 www.healthandsafetyatwork.com

8. pay and CONDITIONS
Our 2012 survey sample
Our analysis, carried out by working overseas, giving a total of 844. sector makes up almost three quarters
pay expert Adam Geldman, is The number of respondents is down on (74%) of responses, with a shade over
based on information from an the 1233 received this time last year. a fifth (22%) from the public sector. The
online questionnaire conducted during More than a fifth of participants are remaining returns were sent in by
autumn 2012. Responses were re- based in the South East of England health and safety specialists working
ceived from 797 UK-based health and (22.2%), and the North West accounted for not-for-profit organisations, such
safety professionals, together with 47 for 12.9% of respondents. The private as charities.
Distribution of respondents
Agriculture (hunting, forestry, fishing)
Construction
Financial services
General services (law, facilities management,
property management, management consultancy)
Hotels, restaurants and leisure
Industrial sector
Manufacturing
Mining and quarrying
Public sector (including defence, education, health
and social work, central and local government)
Transport and logistics
Utilities (electricity, gas and water)
Wholesale/retail trade and logistics
Respondents were also asked to indicate the size of their organisation. There is an interesting divide; the majority work
for companies with more than 1000 employees (38%), while almost the same number work for SMEs (37%).
Number of employees 1–49 Breakdown by gender
50–99
100–249
250–499
500–999 Male
1000 plus Female
Read more
More information on this year’s survey, including a breakdown of employees’ benefits and some candid observations
from respondents, is available online at www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/pay-survey-2012
You can also compare the 2012 results to a full analysis of the previous year’s pay survey, which is available online at
www.healthandsafetyatwork.com/pay-survey-2011
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www.healthandsafetyatwork.com hsw pay survey 2012