Environmental Health Officer

Also known as:

Health Officer, Environmental
Public Health Officer

Introduction

Environmental health officers (EHOs) deal with all aspects of public health. They enforce the law and aim to improve standards. Officers carry out inspections to ensure that health and safety regulations are being followed. Food hygiene and pollution are two major areas of work for officers.

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Work Activities

Environmental health officers (EHOs) protect our health and safety at home, at work and in public places like leisure centres, shops and restaurants.

They visit a variety of establishments such as timber merchants, warehouses, shops, offices and animal boarding establishments to make sure employers have a safety policy and that everyone follows the safety rules. EHOs check the working environment, for example, making sure that ventilation, sanitary facilities and temperature controls are all adequate. They also investigate the cause of accidents.

Officers may visit people's homes to make sure their water supply and sanitary facilities are adequate. As well as conventional housing, EHOs may inspect caravan sites. They have the power to insist that people repair poorly maintained properties. EHOs can also insist that people repair dry and wet rot.

Responsibility for food safety is a very important part of the EHO's work. They visit shops, hotels, restaurants, airports, factories and food stalls. They make sure that people follow the procedures for storing and preparing food. Officers take samples back to laboratories to test for the presence of micro-organisms that can cause serious illness. They monitor incidents of diseases like salmonella, tracing their sources and taking steps to prevent further infections.

EHOs also inspect swimming pools and leisure centres.

Monitoring pollutants in the air is also part of the officer's work. Their specialist knowledge allows them to advise local and central government on where the worst areas for air pollution are, what is causing these levels and how they may be reduced. EHOs are also involved in controlling noise pollution.

EHOs may have to appear in court to give evidence in cases where regulations have been broken and standards are not acceptable.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

To be an environmental health officer, you must be committed to protecting the public's health and safety. This is a very important responsibility, so you'll need energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail at all times.

Good communication skills are very important. You'll be visiting people's premises, so you must have tact and good negotiating skills. You must be able to explain safety procedures and regulations clearly.

You may find yourself in stressful situations when people are distressed or angry, so you'll need a calm, professional manner to defuse potential confrontations. Also, you must be able to apply the law firmly. You need good written communication skills to produce reports.

Environmental health officers need good organisational skills to prepare and prosecute cases using their own evidence and chemical analyses; you must be prepared to appear in court.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Environmental health officers (EHOs) earn in the range of £20,000 - £23,000 a year. Senior officers earn in the range £25,500 - £41,500 a year.

EHOs usually work 35-37 hours a week, sometimes including some unsocial hours and occasional night and weekend duties.

Most EHOs in Scotland work for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and local authorities. Other employers are hotel and catering organisations, food retailers and manufacturers.

There is a steady demand for qualified EHOs to work throughout the UK.

Consultancy may be possible on a self-employed basis in industry and commerce after several years' experience.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have a background in housing, health and safety, or food hygiene.

If you don't have the usual qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree course, a college or university Access course, e.g, Access to Science, leading to a Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) accredited degree, could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

Part-time study of an accredited degree is also possible over a five- to six-year period, if you are already working as an environmental health technician or technical officer.

Training placements and sponsorships for studying environmental health/science at university can be available from local authorities.

• 9% of environmental health practitioners work part-time.
• 53% have flexible hours.

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