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What is an environmental compliance inspector and how to become one
Is protecting the environment important to you? If so, then you may find a job as an environmental compliance inspector to be extremely rewarding. In this role, you will play a critical role in preventing the contamination and pollution of the water we drink and the air we breathe. You'll get a chance to investigate complaints of suspected violations of pollution control laws, such as illegal dumping and excessive emissions. You will investigate complaints of suspected violations of pollution control laws, such as illegal dumping and excessive emissions.
In addition to investigating suspected violations, you'll review licenses and permits and verify that the permit holders are abiding by the requirements and regulations. You'll also inspect waste disposal and treatment facilities to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Some other duties you may perform are collecting waste, water, and soil samples, investigating specific complaints of suspected violations, educating businesses on environmental laws, and documenting findings of potential violations. If a violation is uncovered, the inspector also determines what corrective action should be taken, which may include issuing citations or other legal action.
If a job in this field sounds appealing, you'll need to earn a Bachelor's degree in environmental science, natural resource management, environmental law, biology, chemistry, or in a related field. You'll also need good time management skills to conduct investigations and sample analysis within a given time frame as well as a passionate interest in preserving the environment.
Avg. Salary $51,859
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 9%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.83%
Asian 8.13%
Black or African American 11.22%
Hispanic or Latino 15.69%
Unknown 4.47%
White 59.66%
Genderfemale 25.51%
male 74.49%
Age - 46American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 46Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Key steps to become an environmental compliance inspector
Explore environmental compliance inspector education requirements
Start to develop specific environmental compliance inspector skills
Skills Percentages Environmental Compliance 8.54% Inspection Reports 7.07% Compliance Audits 6.58% Water Quality 5.13% OSHA 4.27% Complete relevant environmental compliance inspector training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New environmental compliance inspectors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an environmental compliance inspector based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real environmental compliance inspector resumes.Research environmental compliance inspector duties and responsibilities
- Manage NPDES permitting requirements in compliance assurance and permit interpretation.
- Solve issues relate to EPA, sampling data management, internal and external reporting, compliance and permitting issues.
- Present design and product engineers with cost effective FCC compliance solutions to certify new products to domestic and international regulatory standards.
- Perform inspection of PCB trough system in cascade buildings.
Apply for environmental compliance inspector jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an environmental compliance inspector job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first environmental compliance inspector job
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Average environmental compliance inspector salary
The average environmental compliance inspector salary in the United States is $51,859 per year or $25 per hour. Environmental compliance inspector salaries range between $34,000 and $77,000 per year.
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How do environmental compliance inspectors rate their job?
Environmental compliance inspector reviews
environmental Impacts accuracy and quality of classification processes handled by their team. Impacts team, partner teams and Process Experts.
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Updated January 8, 2025
