Environmental health practitioner

Reference Number: ST0714

Details of standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the public sector, typically in local authorities, but also in third-party and private businesses. The majority will be employed in local government and in private industry although they may also carry out their duties in a wider range of settings including: central government, consultancies, the NHS, armed services, public health protection, not for profit businesses and charities. They will work in a range of departments in which they will apply their professional knowledge and skills on a range of areas, such as environmental protection, food safety, health and safety at work, housing standards and public health. This occupation could be based locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to act as advisers, educators, consultants and enforcement officers, enabling people to live and work in safe, healthy environments. By undertaking a risk-based approach, Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) will promote a safe and healthy environment for the public and businesses, through education and enforcement. For example, inspecting food premises and workplaces for food safety and health and safety compliance, monitoring air quality, undertaking emergency interventions, investigating food fraud, safety and noise control at large events, dealing with rogue landlords, investigating food poisoning outbreaks, licensing tattoo parlours and investigating accidents at work. They work in a range of environments and will spend much of their time out in the community with businesses and the public. They may have to work evenings and weekends to meet the job needs. EHPs may specialise in one of the following areas, or deal with them all:

• Environmental protection including noise, nuisance, air, water and land pollution
• Food safety: auditing, inspection and education
• Health and safety at work: auditing, inspection and education
• Private sector housing including standards: houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), licensing, inspecting
• Public health including infectious disease control, smoke free legislation
• Port health: sampling, inspecting and controlling imported foods
• Training eg. delivering food safety/health and safety courses/mentoring

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a variety of stakeholders including:

• the public
• clients
• local and/or national businesses
• elected members
• property owners
• local and national government agencies and departments
• partners, such as the police and fire service.

Typically working remotely or from an office base, EHPs will spend much of their time out in the community with businesses and the public. They work in a range of settings from residential situations to highly dangerous conditions, mainly in commercial and industrial settings. EHPs will work in situations where there is potential for conflict. They will provide expert, professional and technical advice to other council departments, external organisations, members of the public and businesses. They will attend council committees, courts of law, tribunals, public meetings etc. related to the prime objectives of the role.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working independently with a high level of autonomy and as part of a wider team. EHPs will plan, organise and prioritise their own case load, typically reporting to a line manager. They will work largely unsupervised and will be expected to exercise initiative and professional judgement, often being required to make quick decisions. They will work to ensure that outcomes and objectives are achieved within desired timescales. They may be responsible for the following resources: safety equipment, sampling equipment, measuring equipment, photographic and video equipment and electronic equipment. This includes the management of any chains of evidence collected. They will also be responsible for sensitive and personal information. EHPs may be expected to supervise technical staff and students. EHPs should demonstrate a commitment to their own continuing professional development.

Typical job titles

Environmental Health Officer, Environmental Health Practitioner, Environmental Health Professional, Safety Auditor, Food Inspector, Housing Officer, Public Protection Officer

Entry requirements

Employers and universities will determine their own entry requirements; typically, this will be 3 A Levels or equivalent.

Occupation duties

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: The complex political and corporate environment in which the organisation operates and own role in this

K2: The legislative framework and technical application of relevant Acts, regulations, guidance and codes of practice eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Public Health Acts, Building Act, Food Hygiene Regulations, Housing Acts, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc

K3: The role of the environmental health service in leading on and contributing to the wider public health agenda and the health, safety and wellbeing of local communities

K4: The procedures and practices involved with carrying out evidence and risk-based inspections, audits and investigations

K5: The full range of statutory and non-statutory interventions to control, mitigate and reduce risk

K6: The procedures and practices involved in taking a range of enforcement actions

K7: The procedures and practices involved with granting permits, licences and authorisations

K8: How to liaise and communicate appropriately with a variety of sources including clients, partner agencies, the public and the media

K9: The relevance and interpretation of complex/scientific reports, technical guidance, analytical data, research and other forms of evidence

K10: The concepts of hazard analysis and risk assessment and their practical application in environmental health

K11: Concepts relating to the natural world, its key biological and ecological systems and how this may affect and be affected by humans; sustainability of resources and their impact on climate and health

K12: The human world and communities; human made structures, industry and services

K13: How social, cultural, emotional and psychological factors influence environmental health and the health of the public

K14: Concepts of health and disease and how these are measured and assessed

K15: Environmental stressors and how they impact on different environments and communities

K16: The impact of lifestyle choices on the health of individuals and communities

K17: The principles of environmental microbiology

K18: Theories of epidemiology of a range of communicable and non-communicable diseases and their practical application in environmental health

K19: Anatomy and physiology and how human function can be affected by biological, toxicological and mechanical effects

K20: The concepts and principles of leadership and application to own practice

K21: A range of quantitative and qualitative data gathering methods and how to appraise and select the optimum method

K22: The limits of own scope of practice and when to seek advice from others

K23: Principles of safeguarding and how to apply them to self and others

K24: The principles of collecting evidence for monitoring, investigations and enforcement purposes including seizure and detention powers, formal sampling procedures and exhibit referencing

K25: Techniques to investigate and resolve complaints

Skills

S1 Provide specialist, professional and technical environmental health advice and guidance to a range of stakeholders such as residents, businesses, property owners, government agencies and partners

S2 Plan, undertake and lead inspections, audits and other forms of investigations across the breadth of environmental health matters

S3 Evaluate applications and grant relevant licences and permits eg. environmental permits, HMOs, caravan sites, skin piercing, tattooists etc

S4 Negotiate with and influence a range of stakeholders in relation to a range of environmental health matters

S5 Identify, evaluate and communicate environmental health risks and risk management solutions to a range of stakeholders

S6 Ensure all activities are undertaken in accordance with relevant legislation, guidance and codes of practice

S7 Infer and apply a range of legislation related to environmental health, eg. the Environment Act, Environmental Protection Act, the Health and Safety at Work Act, Food Safety Act, Housing Act, Public Health Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act, data protection legislation, anti-social behaviour legislation etc

S8 Employ a range of research, analytical and problem-solving techniques to resolve environmental health issues through creative and critical thinking, devising practical solutions and applying problem solving strategies

S9 Critically evaluate and analyse evidence and information

S10 Formulate judgements and decisions based on the evidence available and applied knowledge eg. on acceptable levels of pollution emissions, water data, acceptable levels of noise etc

S11 Manage objective measurement and analysis of scientific information to determine the appropriate course of action eg. noise measurement, air emissions etc

S12 Appraise, implement and communicate relevant interventions eg. enforcement actions

S13 Produce accurate records and reports and where appropriate, recommend interventions, including the collection and handling of evidence with a view towards legal proceedings

S14 Assess and deal effectively with difficult and confrontational situations

S15 Participate in health promotional activities in high priority environmental health areas eg. shisha, smoking, obesity, food safety etc

S16 Implement effective decision making, exercising discretion, initiative and independence within the scope of own role

S17 Communicate and influence effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders including spoken and written communication skills, presentation skills, giving advice and guidance / mediating / negotiating and persuading, handling private and sensitive information (eg. data protection)

S18 Use a range of standard IT packages to undertake for example, word processing activities, produce reports and input / analyse data

S19 Work as part of a multi-disciplinary and/or multi-organisational team and collaborate to achieve successful outcomes

S20 Lead activities relating to environmental health matters

S21 Carry out sampling and collect evidence for monitoring, investigations and/or enforcement purposes in accordance with legislation and current guidance

S22 Examine and assess compliance with conditions

S23 Plan, organise and prioritise workload to meet deadlines

Behaviour

B1: Be positive, creative and innovative within complex environments in professional practice

B2: Be adaptive to a changing operational and political environment

B3: Be collaborative with a diverse range of stakeholders

B4: Be self-motivated and committed to leading own professional development

B5: Be assertive in appropriate situations to communicate and influence effectively

B6: Show discretion in professional practice

B7: Be resilient and self-aware

B8: Operate with dignity and respect, maintaining impartiality/fairness/equality

B9: Champion own organisation’s values and goals

Qualifications

English and Maths qualifications

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment.  For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL. 

Other qualifications

Mandatory qualification 1: BSc (Hons) degree in Environmental Health/BSc (Hons) degree in Environmental Science

Level of qualification: 6 (integrated degree)

Professional recognition

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health / Membership

Additional details

Occupational Level: 6
Duration (months): 48

Review

This standard will be reviewed after three years.

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