2463- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Job Title: 

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Alternate Titles: 

Air pollution inspector,Environmental health officer,Food inspector,Public health inspector,Technical officer (environmental health)

Job Description: 

Jobholders in this unit group use specialist technical skills and knowledge to protect people from health risks associated with the environment in which they live and work. They maintain and safeguard standards, including taking legal action to enforce relevant legislation with regard to public health policy.

Education: 

Entrants normally require a degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) or the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) in addition to a work-based training placement, followed by professional examinations.
Refer The S/NVQ framework for more details

NS-SEC: 

The simplified NS-SEC analytic class for this code is 1.2
The simplified NS-SEC operational category for this code is 3.2
Refer The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification for more details

Tasks: 


  • inspects businesses for compliance with legislation on health and safety, food hygiene and food standards and takes appropriate action in the event of non-compliance;
  • follows up complaints of unsafe workplaces, investigating accidents;
  • investigates outbreaks of food poisoning, infectious diseases or pests;
  • monitors radiation activity, levels of noise, air, land and water pollution and takes appropriate action when safety levels are exceeded;
  • ensures animal welfare for compliance with legislation, issues licences for premises such as pet shops, zoos and abattoirs;
  • gives talks at public enquiries and meetings, ensures compliance through education, advice and enforcement;
  • initiates legal proceedings and gives evidence in court.