- Safety Inspections
- Identification of Hazards
- Removal of Hazards
- Training
- Emergency Management
Environmental health is a growing health promotion field in the United States. Many people still do not fully understand just how dynamic and essential this public health field is. At the head of most environmental health programs and organizations is an environmental health officer. This is a list of five roles the environmental health officer may play within this health and safety field to mitigate health risks and avoid health and safety hazards that include risk of infectious diseases.
Safety Inspections
A large portion of what an environmental health officer does is spent on routine inspections of various environments to make sure they are safe. They often spend time inspecting businesses of all types, including small and large manufacturers for all kinds of environmental situations including pest infestation, noise complaints, toxic contamination, air pollution, and investigating complaints. In this case, environment includes any space in which humans and animals might exist. This includes buildings of every variety, bridges, parks and other outdoor spaces, and large compounds such as school campuses and amusement parks. Some environmental health officers are contracted with specific companies in the private sector and work exclusively on their spaces. Other health officers work for the government. Still others do freelance work at a wide variety of sites. These inspections can include food premises for food safety to protect people from food poisoning, occupational health situations, pest control, and pollution control, among other things, to promote hygiene standards. Public health inspectors often need good communication skills for writing reports to communicate with local authorities in promoting health and safety.
Identification of Hazards
During their safety inspections, environmental health officers are responsible for overseeing removal of all potential safety hazards. These include all biological, chemical, and radiological materials that could violate national and industry-specific regulations. Officers submit samples of suspect materials for professional analysis and then make final decisions about their potential threat and how to proceed. The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides a guide to some of the most common environmental hazards in the places that most people work and frequent daily. Their professional practice often involves wearing protective clothing and providing essential advice to local authority regarding health hazards. The environmental health officer works to eliminate the risk of environmental pollution such as air pollution, food poisoning, and issues that may lead to public health emergencies.
Removal of Hazards
When suspect materials are found to pose risks to public health, the environmental health officer is responsible for ensuring that all traces are removed from the premises. Since environmental hazards cannot simply be tossed out with the day’s trash, this involves locating and coordinating with the proper hazardous waste removal agencies. The environmental health officer must then identify the original source of the hazardous material to determine if a one-time removal is sufficient or if the situation calls for a more systemic solution to promote health and safety. These hazards may include food safety, pest control, and infectious diseases. In signing off on the final inspection, the health officer effectively communicates with local authorities that he or she feels fully confident that the premises are safe for human occupation.
Training
Once sites pass inspection, these health officers conduct periodic training courses to help all occupants remain safe and healthy. They design and implement training programs, procedures for preventing illness and injury, and protocol for how to handle health and safety threats, including infectious diseases and food safety, that arise. Health officers are responsible for ensuring that these trainings are carried out often enough to ensure that all occupants are up to date on the policies and procedures, and trainings are often concurrent with updated inspections. OSHA offers sample environmental health and safety plans for a wide variety of environments and health topics.
Emergency Management
Even the most thorough inspections and intensive trainings cannot prevent all accidents and emergencies. Many environmental health officers are responsible for overseeing actions in response to such events. These can range from minor accidents involving one or a few people to large scale disasters. Health officers must be prepared for the full spectrum of emergencies, including those caused by both human error and nature.
What is Environmental Health?
This field involves the science and practice of preventing human injury and illness and promoting well-being. These public health professionals work to identify and evaluate environmental sources and hazardous agents and work to limit exposure to hazardous physical, chemical, and biological agents in the air, water, soil, food safety, and other areas that may harm human health. The environmental health officer provides advice to other agencies that also protect public health.
What are some important qualities of an Environmental Health Officer?
Effective Environmental Health Officers work to protect public health through their roles, but what are some of the qualities that most environmental health officers need to help them to be successful in this important role? Analytical skills help this public health worker to base their conclusions on analysis of scientific data, while considering all methods and solutions in their analyses.
Communication skills seem to be important in all lines of work, and working in the role of an environmental health officer is no exception. These workers need to present and explain clearly their findings in their reports or oral presentations. Interpersonal skills are needed to work well with a team. Team members may include engineers, technicians, or scientists, and they must work effectively together or with other organizations to reach their goals.
Problem solving is always needed in this role to find the best solution to environmental problems that not only affect the environment, but also human health. It’s not unusual to spend many hours working alone, and self discipline helps these workers to stay focused and motivated to get the work done.
What is the professional organization for Environmental Health Workers?
The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) serves over 6,000 members working in the environmental protection profession with the purpose of providing a healthy environment for all. NEHA is the credentialing agency for professionals to earn a Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian credential. This credential requires environmental health professionals to master a body of knowledge that is verified by examination, and to gain sufficient work experience for the field. NEHA provides training and continuing education, an annual conference, and the Journal of Environmental Health. NEHA’s mission is “to build, sustain, and empower an effective environmental health workforce.”
Other professional organizations in this field include:
American Society of Safety Professionals
National Safety Council
World Safety Organization
National Association for Environmental Management
What is the job outlook and pay potential for Environmental Health Officers?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS.org), Environmental Health Scientists can expect a 5% growth in jobs from 2021-2031, which is as fast as average for all occupations. Median income in 2021 was $76,530, which means half of workers made more than this amount and half made less.
How does one enter this important field of environmental health?
To enter the field of environmental health, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related natural science degree is a must. A master’s degree may help one advance in this career.
Environmental science programs sometimes include valuable internship requirements, giving students practical experience and networking opportunities. Classes and internships that include computer modeling, data analysis, and Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are valuable for future employment.
Through the execution of these five roles, environmental health officers’ work is never dull. It is also very rewarding. The career of an environmental health specialist involves often intriguing investigations and the satisfaction of knowing one is largely responsible for the wellbeing of environments and the individuals who live, work, and play among them.
MPH Staff, Updated September 2022
Related Resource:
10 Most Affordable MPH that Don’t Require GRE
Top 10 Best Epidemiology Programs–Master’s Degrees Online
Top 10 Fastest MPH Degree Programs Online