What does an environmental health specialist do?
An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.
Environmental health specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real environmental health specialist resumes:
- Help in managing the implementation of management systems meeting OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 standards.
- Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
- Provide strategic leadership and work with management on identify EHS issues/recommendations/opportunities to foster continuous improvement of EHS programs and culture.
- Maintain SDS and GHS programs.
- Serve as an in-house expert for GHS - SDS and labeling issues.
- Help integrate EHSMS internal audits with QMS internal audits for ISO 13485 and reviewing QSR.
- Keep first aid and CPR and blood born pathogen certification up to date while employ with KinderCare.
- Assist with the development and implementation of campus wide chemical inventory tracking system to ensure compliance with EPA regulations.
- Develop, implement and maintain environmental programs and compliance documentation meeting and/or exceeding OSHA and state OSHA regulations.
- Perform environmental, epidemiological and OSHA relate investigations, site inspections of industrial facilities and retail food establishments.
- Participate in site EHS audits and assist in program development by drafting audit documentation and tracking corrective actions and monitoring trends.
- Obtain all permitting including fluoroscope, pressure vessels, air, SWPPP, SPCC and non-storm water.
- Perform job and area hazard analyses and make recommendations regarding proper PPE, engineering and administrative controls.
- Develop a CPR reference card for train employees to keep for future use.
- Evaluate the compliance of industrial exhaust ventilation systems.
Environmental health specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Environmental Health Specialists are proficient in Environmental Health, EHS, and OSHA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Environmental Health Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Environmental Health, 15%
Manage Environmental Health programs including hazardous waste disposition and training, managing asbestos abatement projects, and other environmental concerns.
- EHS, 8%
Participated in site EHS audits and assisted in program development by drafting audit documentation and tracking corrective actions and monitoring trends.
- OSHA, 7%
Enhanced confined space entry procedures in compliance with OSHA standards for Facilities Department including implementing Permit Required Confined Space Entry procedures.
- Hazardous Waste, 4%
Participated in 3 new hangar start-ups to include set-up of hazardous waste areas and chemical treatment areas and fire/safety regulatory compliance.
- Public Health, 3%
Assisted in conducting public health educational activities at schools, facilities, professional association meetings and for individuals when requested.
- Risk Assessments, 3%
Conducted comprehensive risk assessments of manufacturing processes, recommended innovative corrective actions, and ensured implementation of those actions.
Common skills that an environmental health specialist uses to do their job include "environmental health," "ehs," and "osha." You can find details on the most important environmental health specialist responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an environmental health specialist to have is ability to use technology. Their role and responsibilities require that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Environmental health specialists often use ability to use technology in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assured compliance with the fda food code and local ordinances, reporting results to the virginia state department of health. "
Detail oriented. Many environmental health specialist duties rely on detail oriented. "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians need to understand and follow safety standards and complex government regulations.," so an environmental health specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways environmental health specialist responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "provide detailed osha injury and illness recordkeeping. "
Physical stamina. environmental health specialists are also known for physical stamina, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to environmental health specialist responsibilities, because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and be able to travel regularly." An environmental health specialist resume example shows how physical stamina is used in the workplace: "ensured employees received appointments for their annual osha required physical examinations. "
Communication skills. A big part of what environmental health specialists do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to environmental health specialist responsibilities because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical environmental health specialist tasks: "developed, trained and monitored hazard communication, ergonomics and emergency response. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for environmental health specialist responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of environmental health specialists all the time, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to solve problems in order to design and implement workplace processes and procedures that help protect workers from hazardous conditions." An excerpt from a real environmental health specialist resume shows how this skill is central to what an environmental health specialist does: "execute monthly safety equipment inspections, reporting any deficiencies and ensuring timely resolution. "
The three companies that hire the most environmental health specialists are:
- Uline23 environmental health specialists jobs
- BrightView Landscape Development Inc11 environmental health specialists jobs
- ATI - Allegheny Technologies Incorporated9 environmental health specialists jobs
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Compare different environmental health specialists
Environmental health specialist vs. Safety officer
A safety officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between environmental health specialists and safety officer. For instance, environmental health specialist responsibilities require skills such as "environmental health," "public health," "air quality," and "ehs management." Whereas a safety officer is skilled in "patients," "patrol," "safety procedures," and "risk management." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Safety officers tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $59,274. In contrast, environmental health specialists make the biggest average salary, $62,998, in the manufacturing industry.On average, safety officers reach similar levels of education than environmental health specialists. Safety officers are 4.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Environmental health specialist vs. Safety trainer
The Safety Trainer ensures that all employees are safe from dangers and are educated well on handling threats and problems. Alongside this, the Safety Trainer properly educates and informs all company employees on the company's safety protocols and procedures. It is the safety trainer's discretion on how they will be able to conduct workshops and seminars for all employees. The safety trainer is an administrative task, and the position is open for people with relevant skills concerning office works.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real environmental health specialist resumes. While environmental health specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "environmental health," "hazardous waste," "public health," and "risk assessments," safety trainers use skills like "cdl," "safety procedures," "cpr," and "powerpoint."
Safety trainers may earn a lower salary than environmental health specialists, but safety trainers earn the most pay in the energy industry with an average salary of $62,203. On the other hand, environmental health specialists receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $62,998.safety trainers earn similar levels of education than environmental health specialists in general. They're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for environmental health specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Mike Mooring Ph.D.
Professor, Point Loma Nazarene University
Environmental health specialist vs. Safety instructor
The duties and responsibilities include coordinating classes on safety procedures, advising management on problems and possible solutions, and meeting safety compliance requirements.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an environmental health specialist is likely to be skilled in "environmental health," "ehs," "hazardous waste," and "public health," while a typical safety instructor is skilled in "cpr," "customer service," "powerpoint," and "course materials."
Most safety instructors achieve a similar degree level compared to environmental health specialists. For example, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Environmental health specialist vs. Safety and training coordinator
A safety and training coordinator helps ensure that all employees, subcontractors, and vendors adhere to the safety protocols and safety behaviors. They oversee safety instructor's safety teachings, procedures, and implementation.
Types of environmental health specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
