By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor

How much is the security of healthcare facilities and the safety of patients and staff worth? While that number might be nearly impossible to quantify, healthcare facilities managers are more interested than ever in security and safety, especially given the increasing level of threats to healthcare workers in recent years. Now, managers have an updated resource to help determine one element of the equation. 

The International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety recently released the 2022 IAHSS Salary Survey. The survey provides insights into healthcare security and safety compensation and benefits, including compensation trends across titles and responsibilities. The salary is designed to help managers ensure their facilities can stay competitive, help them make informed hiring decisions, and foster employee satisfaction. 

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Managers can sort the data based on titles, responsibility, gender, location, experience, Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator (CHPA) certification, compensation and benefits, The survey’s results are based on approximately 600 responses. Among its key findings: 

• The average salary of African-Americans ($104,736) and First Nations ($104,066) is higher than Caucasians ($100,278). 
• The overall pay gap between men and women is 9.8 percent compared to an average U,S, pay gap of 15.8 percent. Women in executive roles earned 0.4 percent more than men in 2022. 
• The average salary for respondents with a CHPA certification ($120,345) is 27 percent higher than those without a CHPA ($94,424). 
• Women with CHPA certification reduced the pay gap between men by over 32 percent. 
• Ninety percent of respondents are satisfied with their salaries. 
• Eighty-three percent of respondents are satisfied with their work-life balance compared to the U.S. average of 60 percent. 
• The top three challenges facing the industry are staffing shortages, workplace violence and staff retention. 

Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.