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Average HSE Officer Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

An HSE officer in United Kingdom earns about 40,300 GBP a year. That's 42% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 20,000 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 64,300 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does an HSE officer make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
40,300 GBP
3,358 GBP per month
Lowest reported
20,000 GBP
1,666 GBP per month
Highest reported
64,300 GBP
5,358 GBP per month

A typical HSE officer working in United Kingdom brings home around 3,358 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 20,000 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 64,300 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior HSE officer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the HSE officer salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How HSE officer pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all HSE officers in United Kingdom earn less than 38,000 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 27,400 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 50,300 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of HSE officers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 20,000 GBP. The highest stretch to 64,300 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

20,000
Low
38,000
Median
64,300
High
27,400
25th
50,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

HSE officer pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an HSE officer in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical HSE officer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    25,400 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +27% from previous
    32,200 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +35% from previous
    43,500 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +15% from previous
    50,100 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +17% from previous
    58,600 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    58,800 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a HSE officer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

HSE officer pay by education in United Kingdom

Education lifts pay across almost every role, but the size of the lift varies enormously. The biggest premiums show up in licensed professions like medicine, law and accounting, where extra years of formal study open up seniority that isn't available without the qualification. The smallest premiums show up in skilled trades and creative work, where practical experience often beats academic credentials.

As a rough cross-industry guide for United Kingdom: a post-secondary certificate or diploma adds around 17% over a high-school-only baseline. A bachelor's degree typically adds another 25% on top of that. A master's lifts pay a further 30%, and a PhD adds about 22% more in fields that value research-level qualifications. These are averages across many different professions, so the real number for your specific job could easily be twice as high or close to zero. The per-job pages below have the real numbers for individual roles.

HSE officer gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male HSE officers in United Kingdom earn an average of 42,800 GBP a year, while female HSE officers earn around 38,900 GBP. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

HSE Officer gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 42,800 GBP
Women 38,900 GBP

Pay raises for an HSE officer in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 12% every 14 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

HSE officer bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

29%

29% of HSE officers in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an HSE officer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 71% of HSE officers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

HSE officer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

HSE officer salary by city and region in United Kingdom

HSE officer pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Somerset
  • Bristol
  • Leeds
  • London
  • Edinburgh
  • Bradford
  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion79,700 GBP74,600 GBP38,900-119,700 GBP
ScotlandRegion57,100 GBP51,300 GBP30,300-86,600 GBP
SomersetCity46,400 GBP44,800 GBP24,200-68,200 GBP
BristolCity46,300 GBP44,900 GBP23,100-69,200 GBP
LeedsCity46,100 GBP49,400 GBP22,300-74,000 GBP
LondonCity45,700 GBP48,000 GBP20,200-73,700 GBP
EdinburghCity45,600 GBP40,200 GBP22,400-65,700 GBP
BradfordCity45,600 GBP45,000 GBP20,000-71,200 GBP
BirminghamCity45,300 GBP51,100 GBP22,300-73,800 GBP
GlasgowCity45,200 GBP49,400 GBP21,100-73,100 GBP
PlymouthCity45,000 GBP41,500 GBP23,200-66,900 GBP
CardiffCity45,000 GBP41,000 GBP23,500-65,800 GBP
LiverpoolCity44,700 GBP40,300 GBP22,000-66,100 GBP
BelfastCity44,500 GBP42,300 GBP22,200-69,700 GBP
ManchesterCity44,300 GBP44,200 GBP21,700-70,000 GBP
WolverhamptonCity44,300 GBP47,600 GBP20,000-68,800 GBP
NottinghamCity44,200 GBP41,400 GBP25,400-68,100 GBP
SheffieldCity43,800 GBP43,500 GBP23,800-66,400 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity43,800 GBP42,000 GBP23,300-65,900 GBP
BrightonCity43,500 GBP43,500 GBP21,100-66,900 GBP
ArmaghCity42,800 GBP42,800 GBP23,000-64,400 GBP
PeterboroughCity42,700 GBP45,000 GBP22,600-67,600 GBP
LeicesterCity42,700 GBP45,700 GBP22,300-68,500 GBP
DundeeCity42,000 GBP39,800 GBP23,000-61,700 GBP
DerbyCity41,900 GBP39,100 GBP20,000-63,100 GBP
CoventryCity41,500 GBP42,400 GBP20,000-66,900 GBP
NorwichCity41,000 GBP38,000 GBP20,000-62,600 GBP
NewcastleCity40,700 GBP40,700 GBP22,600-63,800 GBP
YorkCity40,300 GBP43,500 GBP22,000-65,800 GBP
DerryCity40,300 GBP36,800 GBP23,200-61,400 GBP
PortsmouthCity40,300 GBP46,400 GBP18,900-67,800 GBP
OxfordCity40,300 GBP45,600 GBP20,500-66,100 GBP
AberdeenCity40,300 GBP40,300 GBP23,000-64,800 GBP
LincolnCity40,000 GBP37,900 GBP22,000-59,800 GBP
WalesRegion40,000 GBP40,000 GBP20,400-62,100 GBP
ExeterCity39,800 GBP41,500 GBP20,400-63,200 GBP
NewryCity39,600 GBP38,000 GBP18,900-62,600 GBP
NewportCity39,300 GBP43,400 GBP19,000-64,100 GBP
GloucesterCity39,000 GBP39,000 GBP22,000-61,500 GBP
PooleCity39,000 GBP36,200 GBP21,100-59,900 GBP
SouthamptonCity38,900 GBP38,700 GBP23,200-63,200 GBP
SwanseaCity38,900 GBP38,900 GBP20,900-64,300 GBP
AbingdonCity38,100 GBP37,300 GBP20,900-56,900 GBP
DurhamCity38,000 GBP43,500 GBP16,300-63,700 GBP
HartlepoolCity38,000 GBP36,400 GBP21,100-59,100 GBP
CambridgeCity38,000 GBP36,600 GBP20,200-58,200 GBP
ChesterCity37,300 GBP38,100 GBP19,200-56,400 GBP
WinchesterCity36,800 GBP35,600 GBP21,100-58,200 GBP
SalisburyCity36,800 GBP36,800 GBP19,000-58,600 GBP
WellsCity36,800 GBP34,800 GBP19,200-55,300 GBP
LisburnCity36,500 GBP39,500 GBP19,200-62,100 GBP
RiponCity36,000 GBP36,800 GBP16,900-55,500 GBP
WakefieldCity35,600 GBP35,200 GBP19,400-58,200 GBP
StromnessCity35,500 GBP36,400 GBP14,200-51,900 GBP
StirlingCity35,400 GBP35,300 GBP19,100-57,800 GBP
CanterburyCity35,300 GBP39,400 GBP18,400-58,600 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion35,200 GBP39,600 GBP15,700-58,200 GBP
InvernessCity35,000 GBP37,300 GBP19,400-57,000 GBP
BangorCity35,000 GBP34,300 GBP19,000-54,100 GBP
StrontianCity34,800 GBP36,200 GBP19,100-55,300 GBP
St DavidsCity34,000 GBP36,000 GBP16,100-55,200 GBP
TruroCity33,800 GBP35,400 GBP17,500-56,100 GBP
KirkwallCity33,600 GBP33,000 GBP18,600-54,600 GBP

HSE Officer in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does an HSE officer make per month in United Kingdom?

    An HSE officer in United Kingdom earns about 3,358 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 40,300 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for an HSE officer in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level HSE officers in United Kingdom start near 20,000 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 64,300 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 27,400 and 50,300 GBP.

  • Is the median HSE officer salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 38,000 GBP, lower than the average of 40,300 GBP. Half of HSE officers in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for HSE officers in United Kingdom?

    Men working as an HSE officer in United Kingdom earn around 10% more than women on average (42,800 vs 38,900 GBP a year).

  • Do HSE officers in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 29% of HSE officers in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do HSE officers earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays an HSE officer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do HSE officers in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    An HSE officer in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 12% every 14 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.