Sanitary Inspector

Environmental Health Officers (also known as Public Health Inspectors or Environmental Health Practitioners) are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to environmental health and providing support to minimize health and safety hazards. They are involved in a variety of activities, for example inspecting food facilities, investigating public health nuisances, and implementing disease control. Environmental health officers are focused on prevention, consultation, investigation, and education of the community regarding health risks and maintaining a safe environment.

EHOs bring to the position an understanding of microbiology, risk assessment, environmental science and technology, food science, as well as the skills and knowledge related to the tracking and control of communicable disease. They must also have strong investigative skills and a thorough understanding of the application of legislation related to public health and the environment. Working in partnership with Government Ministries (such as Health, Agriculture and Environment), local municipalities, businesses, community groups, other agencies and individual members of the community, the EHO plays a major role in protecting public health.

Some past/historic titles include inspector of nuisances, sanitarian, and sanitary inspector. Other titles that currently exist include environmental health specialist/practitioner/professional, public health officer, health officer, health inspector, and health official. The legal title used will depend on the definitions found in local legislation/jurisdiction.

Environmental health professionals are usually employed by local government or state health authorities to advise on and enforce public health standards. However, many are employed in the private sector and in the military.

The following represents jobs that can be found in either the public or private sectors:

The common identifier of environmental health personnel is that they are responsible for the identification, evaluation and management of risks to human health from factors in the environment, whether on behalf of government agencies or commercial and industrial concerns.

A Public Health Inspector (also known as an Environmental Health Officer) investigates health hazards in a wide variety of settings, and will take action to mitigate or eliminate the hazards. Usually the public perception of a health inspector is someone who examines restaurants and ensures they maintain sanitary standards for food safety set by the regulating authority. However, public health inspectors have much broader job duties, including inspecting swimming pools, substandard housing conditions, public schools, day cares, nursing homes, and personal service establishments such as tattoo parlours. Depending on their jurisdiction, Registered Environmental Health Officers often permit and inspect wells, private water systems, and individual subsurface sewage disposal (septic) systems. Other tasks include: campground inspections, tanning salon inspections, beauty salon inspections, correctional facility inspections and mobile home park inspection. The public health inspector (environmental health officer) also plays a vital role in community projects such as those concerning health promotion, tobacco reduction, healthy built environments/healthy communities, food security, and emergency preparedness.

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