Protecting your community in local government
environmental health
Introduction
Environmental health in local government is all about improving
people's quality of life and making sure they are able to live,
work and play in safe, healthy environments. Local government
environmental health officers and practitioners are involved in a
wide range of activities covering food safety, public health,
occupational health, housing and environmental protection.
Work Environment
Some the work is office-based, but much of the work involves
visiting shops, restaurants, kitchens, factories and offices. Some
of the visits may be to dirty and sometimes potentially dangerous,
or unpleasant places and it might sometimes be necessary to wear
protective clothing hats, masks and overalls.
Daily Activities
Local government environmental health officers may be involved in
all aspects of environmental health work, as generalists, or they
might specialise in one of the five main areas of work:
- Food safety - this work involves inspecting premises where food
is prepared and sold such as restaurants, shops, pubs, factories
and take-aways, to ensure that health and safety standards are
being met and to advise on food regulations. Some of the
visits are routine, but others are unplanned and usually in
response to complaints from the public.
- Public health - environmental health officers work in
partnership with medical professionals to protect and promote
public health. They get involved in health awareness
campaigns such as the dangers of smoking and obesity. They
are also involved in educating the public about infectious
diseases.
- Housing - this work involves monitoring housing standards to
ensure that housing is safe and fit to live in. The work
might include checking to see if there are legal fire escapes and
smoke alarms, monitoring sanitation arrangements and ensuring
repairs are carried out by landlords.
- Health and safety in the workplace - environmental health
officers visit a range of businesses and offices to monitor health
and safety standards. They assess the risks and ensure that
employees are safe. Sometimes they might have to investigate
accidents in the workplace.
- Environmental protection - this work involves monitoring
dangerous levels of air, water, land and noise pollution,
identifying problems and taking action to rectify them.
Officers need to use specialist equipment to take samples of water
and soil, to monitor pollution levels in the air, or measure noise
levels. They then provide recommendations on how to resolve
the problem and in some cases they take enforcement action to deal
with the issue.
Local government environmental health officers might also expect
to spend some of their time visiting schools and community groups
to talk about relevant issues, such as fire or food safety.
They might also expect to spend some time collating and
preparing data for court cases and giving evidence.
Skills & Interests
Local government environmental health officers need to:
- have good investigative and decision-making abilities;
- have a methodical, careful approach to gathering facts and
assessing evidence;
- be excellent commnicators - both verbally and in writing;
- be firm, but fair;
- be able to deal with unpleasant conditions from time to
time;
- have good scientific and technical understanding.
Entry Requirements
Environmental health is a graduate profession, therefore to become
fully qualified you must gain a degree accredited by the Chartered
Institute of Environmental Health. Entry requirements for
most degree courses are minimum five GSCEgrades (A-C or above) and
at least 2 A-levels. (You don't necessarily need
science-based A-levels, but at least one would be
preferable.) Science graduates can enter via an accredited
postgraduate course and there are foundation courses available for
non-science graduates or career changers. Some local councils
may offer sponsorship opportunities for students.
You can study for a CIEH accredited degree at any of the
following universities:
• University of Derby
• Nottingham Trent University
• University of Manchester
• University of Birmingham
• Leeds Metropolitan University
• Middlesex University
• King's College, London
• University of Salford
• University of Northumbria
• University of Ulster
A full driving licence is usually required.
Future Prospects & Opportunities
A well and clearly defined promotion structure within a local
council leads to senior, principal and chief officer posts in
environmental health. It may be necessary to move to other councils
to gain more experience, breadth of work and promotion.
Further Information & Services
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health www.ehcareers.org
Institute of Occupational Safety & Health www.iosh.co.uk
Royal Society for the Promotion of Health www.rsph.org
Careers Wales have produced a Spotlight article on careers in
food and farming:
www.careerswales.com/en/spotlight-on-food-and-farming/
You may find further information about this area of work through
Careers Wales (www.careerswales.com/) or
in your local library, careers office or school careers
library.