ONS’s Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings provides an official pay benchmark for health and safety managers and officers. IOSH’s survey and impact report describe a different population: its respondents and international professional activity. This page keeps occupation-level pay, membership grades and course certificates separate.
Key facts and figures
- £46,444 was median gross annual pay for full-time health and safety managers and officers in 2025; the mean was £49,657 (ONS provisional ASHE).
- £50,000 was the median salary for full-time employed OSH practitioners in the IOSH 2024 salary survey (2,725 respondents).
- 208,000 certificates were issued through IOSH’s training portfolio and tailored course approval scheme from February 2025 to January 2026.
- £59,000 was the median salary for Chartered IOSH members in 2024, versus £40,000 for full-time non-members.
- 602 IOSH members progressed to Chartered or Fellow status in 2025/26:568 Chartered members and 34 Fellows.
- 50,000+ people take a NEBOSH qualification each year, according to NEBOSH’s international overview; this is not a UK-only count.
- £44,551 was the 2025 gross annual median across full-time and part-time employees in the ONS health and safety occupation.
- 69.5% /29.8% was the male/female split among respondents to IOSH’s 2024 salary survey, not a census of the UK profession.
Checked on 15 October 2026. ONS’s latest available figures are 2025 provisional ASHE estimates. IOSH impact figures cover 2025/26, while its salary survey figures below are explicitly historical 2024 findings.
What is the average health and safety salary in the UK?
ONS ASHE Table 14.7 a estimates median gross annual pay of £46,444 and mean pay of £49,657 for full-time employees classified as health and safety managers and officers (SOC 2020 code 3582) in 2025. Across full-time and part-time employees together, the median was £44,551. These are provisional UK occupation estimates, not salaries guaranteed to individual applicants.
ASHE is an employer survey based on a sample of employee jobs identified through PAYE records. Its occupation category includes different responsibilities and employers. A professional-body survey has a different sample, so a higher median does not prove a qualification causes higher pay or make the ONS figure a salary floor.
Is there a gender pay gap in the health and safety profession?
The 2025 provisional annual-pay medians were £50,303 for male full-time employees and £43,967 for female full-time employees in this occupation. Annual earnings comparisons reflect hours, job mix and other differences as well as pay. They are not an equal-pay comparison for identical work or the standard ONS hourly gender-pay-gap measure.
These estimates have sampling uncertainty, particularly within smaller occupational subgroups. They cannot explain the causes of a pay difference. Comparing the responsibilities, hours and population covered is essential before drawing conclusions from two salary figures.
How many health and safety professionals are there in the UK?
Neither an international membership total nor a qualification count is a UK workforce headcount. Many workers have safety responsibilities within other jobs, while professional-body membership includes people outside the UK. The sources here therefore do not establish a single count of all UK health and safety professionals.
IOSH’s 2025/26 impact report records 568 members achieving Chartered status and 34 becoming Fellows, alongside 2,242 Certified and 1,725 Technical members progressing to those grades. These are membership progression figures, not new UK jobs. See our competence guide for how qualifications and experience relate to an assessor’s role.
How much does a health and safety manager earn in the UK?
The official occupation combines health and safety managers and officers, so it cannot be read as a manager-only pay scale. The 2025 full-time annual median was £46,444. The lower and upper quartiles were £37,925 and £57,141, illustrating the spread within the sampled occupation.
The table uses one consistent source and period instead of mixing recruiter estimates for different job titles. Percentiles show the distribution of gross annual pay among full-time employee jobs in the occupation, not entry requirements or recommended salaries.
| Pay measure | 2025 figure | Population and basis |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £29,890 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| 20th percentile | £35,100 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| Lower quartile (25th percentile) | £37,925 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| Median (50th percentile) | £46,444 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| 60th percentile | £51,266 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| Upper quartile (75th percentile) | £57,141 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| 80th percentile | £61,570 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
| Mean | £49,657 | Full-time employee jobs; gross annual pay |
ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, Table 14.7 a, SOC 2020 code 3582. Annual-pay estimates apply to employees in the same job for at least a year. Estimates have sampling uncertainty and should not be read as guaranteed pay bands.
What does the IOSH salary survey show practitioners earn?
IOSH’s 2024 salary survey had 2,725 respondents and reported a £50,000 median for full-time employed practitioners. Around 94% of respondents were UK-based and more than 96% were IOSH members. This is a self-selected survey snapshot, not a population estimate for every UK safety role.
Within that 2024 survey, Chartered members reported a £59,000 median and full-time non-members £40,000. The association does not demonstrate that membership itself caused the difference. Respondents were 69.5% male and 29.8% female; the female share was 39% among respondents aged 25–34. These describe the sample.
How many people take a NEBOSH or IOSH qualification each year?
NEBOSH’s international overview states that more than 50,000 people take one of its qualifications annually. That is a broad worldwide participation statement, not a dated UK count of newly qualified safety professionals or successful completions.
IOSH reported 208,000 certificates issued through its training portfolio and tailored course approval scheme between February 2025 and January 2026. It separately reported 130 approved programmes and qualifications across 71 institutions in 19 countries. Certificates, people and accredited programmes are different measures and cannot be added together.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average health and safety salary in the UK?
ONS estimated a £46,444 median and £49,657 mean gross annual pay for full-time health and safety managers and officers in 2025, provisional. Across full-time and part-time employees together, the median was £44,551. IOSH’s separate 2024 survey reported £50,000 among full-time employed respondents.
How many health and safety professionals are there in the UK?
The sources here do not give a single UK headcount of everyone doing health and safety work. International membership, membership progression and course certificates measure different things, and many people perform safety duties as part of another role.
How much does a health and safety manager earn in the UK?
ONS groups health and safety managers and officers together. Its 2025 provisional full-time median gross annual pay was £46,444, with lower and upper quartiles of £37,925 and £57,141. The figures are occupation estimates, not a manager-only salary scale.
How many people take a NEBOSH or IOSH qualification each year?
NEBOSH states that more than 50,000 people take its qualifications annually worldwide. IOSH separately reported 208,000 course certificates from February 2025 to January 2026. Neither figure is a UK-only count of distinct newly qualified professionals.
How often are these statistics updated?
The page was checked on 15 October 2026. The latest ONS ASHE figures available were 2025 provisional estimates. IOSH impact figures are from 2025/26; salary-survey findings are explicitly dated 2024.
Related guides
- Health and Safety Training Statistics UK: Provision, Spend & Coverage
- Risk Assessment Statistics UK: Compliance Facts & Data
- HSE Enforcement Statistics UK: Fines, Prosecutions & Notices
- Who can carry out a risk assessment? The competence question explained
- What is a risk assessment? A guide to UK workplace law
Sources & references
- ONS — ASHE Table 14,2025 provisional occupation pay
- IOSH — Our Impact 2025/26
- IOSH — Salary survey 2024: pay and respondent characteristics
- NEBOSH — international qualifications overview
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, risk assessment and accredited online training for Risk Assessment Training, part of Online CPD Academy.