Environmental health officer Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

As an environmental health officer or practitioner (EHO or EHP), you could deal with a wide range of issues including:

• food safety
• environmental protection
• pollution control
• noise control
• health and safety at work
• waste management
• housing standards.

You might specialise in one of these areas, or you might deal with all environmental health issues in your local area or company. Your work could involve:

• inspecting businesses for health and safety, food hygiene and food standards
• following up complaints and investigating outbreaks of food poisoning, infectious disease or pests
• collecting samples for laboratory testing
• enforcing environmental health laws
• investigating accidents at work
• advising community groups and giving educational talks
• giving evidence in cases that come to court
• keeping records and writing reports
• advising employers on all environmental health matters.

You would work closely with EHOs from other areas as well as with government agencies, specialists in a variety of fields, the public and a wide range of businesses.

Hours

You would work between 35 and 39 hours per week, Monday to Friday, which may occasionally include evening or weekend work. Part-time work and job sharing may be available.

You would have an office base, but would spend much of your time out in the workplace or visiting businesses and homes.

Income

Salaries in local government are normally between £25,000 and £30,000 a year.

Senior and management salaries can reach £60,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

To become an environmental health officer/practitioner you will need to:

• complete an environmental health degree (BSc) or postgraduate degree (MSc) approved by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
• undertake work-based learning
• pass a series of professional exams.

To do an environmental health degree you will usually need five GCSEs (A-C) and 200 points at A level (or 160 points including a science subject). Other qualifications such as an Access to Higher Education course or a BTEC National Diploma will normally also be accepted. You should check exact entry requirements with individual universities.

For an MSc in environmental health, you will need a first degree in a related field or a scientific subject.

See the CIEH's environmental health careers website for details of approved degrees, postgraduate courses and course providers.

• Environmental Health Careers - CIEH

Another option is to start as an environmental health technician with a local council. For this you will normally need to have A levels, a BTEC National Diploma or HND in a scientific subject, or previous experience in related work. Your employer may then offer you the opportunity to study for the environmental health degree part-time whilst you are working.

To work as environmental health technician in a food hygiene or health and safety role, you will need to have taken an accredited course recognised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

You are likely to need a full driving licence for this job.

Training and development

To fully qualify as an environmental health officer, you will need to:

• complete a period of work-based learning, either as a work placement or in a job as a trainee EHO
• keep a training logbook during your work-based learning - known as an Experiential Learning Portfolio (ELP)
• have your ELP assessed as competent
• pass the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Professional Examination.

Once you have successfully completed all these stages, you will achieve full qualification and be awarded the Certificate of Registration from Environmental Health Registration Board. This also gives you voting membership of the CIEH.

As a qualified environmental health officer, you will need to keep up to date with new developments throughout your career. The CIEH offers a range of short courses and seminars to help your professional development.

After five years of professional practice, you can apply to the CIEH for Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner status. See the CIEH website for details.

• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

Skills and knowledge

To be an environmental health officer, you should have:

• good spoken and written communication skills
• negotiation skills
• care and attention to detail
• the ability to understand and explain legislation, procedures and requirements
• good people skills, for dealing with people from all backgrounds
• a good level of scientific and technical understanding
• the ability to investigate, analyse and provide solutions to problems
• assertiveness and tact
• the ability to work alone and as part of a team.

More information

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
Chadwick Court
15 Hatfields
London
SE1 8DJ
Tel: 020 7928 6006
www.cieh.org

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) - careers website
www.ehcareers.org

LGcareers
www.lgcareers.com

Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland
3 Manor Place
Edinburgh
EH3 7DH
Tel: 0131 225 6999
www.rehis.org

Opportunities

There are opportunities with local councils as well as in the private sector, for example checking food standards and health and safety for companies like food suppliers and hotels.

Jobs and training placements may be advertised in the local and national press, by local councils and in Environmental Health News - the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's (CIEH) magazine.

In local government there is a clearly defined promotion structure to senior, principal and chief environmental health officer. With experience, you could also choose become an environmental health consultant in the private sector, advising businesses on environmental health law.

You may find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

• EHN Jobs
• LG Jobs
• Jobs Go Public

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

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