- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- thinking and reasoning skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- analytical thinking skills
- knowledge of English language
- maths knowledge
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- 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 court
- writing records and reports
- advising employers on all environmental health matters
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work at a restaurant, at a client's business, at a store, in a court or in an office.
Your working environment may be dirty and you'll travel often.
With experience you could apply for Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner status.
In local government you could progress to senior, principal or chief environmental health officer. You could also become a university lecturer.
You can find more details about training and working in environmental health through the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
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