Environmental Health Officer
What the work is
Develops, enforces and evaluates environmental health policies, programs and strategies to improve health outcomes, and oversees the implementation and monitoring of environmental health legislation.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Develops, implements and reviews environmental health management plans
- Prepares and implements plans and strategies for the safe, economic and suitable disposal of commercial, industrial, medical and household wastes
- Advises on and enforces environmental health legislation
- Implements prevention programs and strategies for communicable diseases, food safety, wastewater treatment and disposal systems, recreation and domestic water quality, and any contaminated or hazardous substances
- Conducts inspections and investigations for legislative compliance with environmental health standards
- Provides advice on environmental health issues
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional regional council's environmental health and community wellbeing team. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A food business fixes a problem you flagged, and it is better for it
- A community program you designed fills a hall with people who would not otherwise meet
- You work out the cause of a problem that has had a neighbourhood stumped
Hard days
- An owner who is upset and angry about a notice you have to issue
- A complaint where two neighbours both think they are right
- A program with a great plan and almost nobody turning up
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 269331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.