What does an environmental services worker do?
The duties of an environmental services worker depend on their line of work or industry of employment. In a medical facility, their responsibilities revolve around preventing the spread of any diseases by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing areas, properly disposing of hazardous waste, and efficiently sterilizing equipment and apparatuses. They usually follow the directives of leaders and managers, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as an environmental services worker, it is essential to adhere to the company's safety regulations and policies to maintain a healthy and safe environment for everyone.
Environmental services worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real environmental services worker resumes:
- Prioritize and manage projects, workload and assist EVS co-workers.
- Strip, wax and polish floors using light and heavy power scrubbers and buffers.
- Maintain cleanliness in all assign areas and assist in any additional janitorial duties as required.
- Maintain professional attitude and ability to communicate effectively with patients, visitors, contractors, and co-workers.
- Major emphasis on cleanliness and sterilization of emergency department and operating rooms ensuring availability in the event of an emergency.
- Follow OSHA requirements, while maintaining a clean, sanitary and safe environment in all areas of the hospital.
- Follow all company procedures to maintain work environment in a neat and orderly condition maintain property to OSHA standards.
- Run errands such as taking laundry to the cleaners and buying groceries.
Environmental services worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Environmental Services Workers are proficient in Patients, Customer Service, and Patient Rooms. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Environmental Services Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 29%
Maintained professional attitude and ability to communicate effectively with patients, visitors, contractors, and co-workers.
- Customer Service, 13%
Thrived within busy, high-volume environment requiring the ability to prioritize and provide exceptional customer service to residents and families.
- Patient Rooms, 7%
Targeted support of skilled nursing facility departments providing supplies and decontamination of patient rooms/dismissals.
- Cleanliness, 6%
Maintained cleanliness in all assigned areas and assisted in any additional janitorial duties as required.
- Medical Waste, 5%
Performed removal of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) from these areas in accordance with hospital procedures and medical industry standards.
- Floor Care, 4%
Worked as part of an office cleaning team maintaining, offices, bathrooms and floor care.
"patients," "customer service," and "patient rooms" are among the most common skills that environmental services workers use at work. You can find even more environmental services worker responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an environmental services worker to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "environmental science and protection technicians must carry out a wide range of laboratory and field tests, and their results must be accurate and precise." Additionally, an environmental services worker resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "participated in quality control and quality assurance data to meet nys department of health, jcaho and osha regulations. "
Communication skills. Many environmental services worker duties rely on communication skills. "environmental science and protection technicians must have good listening and writing skills, because they must follow precise directions for sample collection and communicate their results effectively in written reports," so an environmental services worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways environmental services worker responsibilities rely on communication skills: "use communication skill to communicate with nurse, doctor, patients etc. "
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for environmental services workers to perform their duties. For an example of how environmental services worker responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "environmental science and protection technicians need to work well and collaborate with others, because they often work with scientists and other technicians." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an environmental services worker: "demonstrated strong interpersonal skills in working with staff and patients. ".
The three companies that hire the most environmental services workers are:
- Cascade Corporation142 environmental services workers jobs
- University of Rochester63 environmental services workers jobs
- Aramark55 environmental services workers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable environmental services worker resume templates
Build a professional environmental services worker resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your environmental services worker resume.
Compare different environmental services workers
Environmental services worker vs. Houseman
A houseman is responsible for the overall sanitation and maintenance of the assigned premises. Housemen duties include assisting in the housekeeping department to clean common areas, repairing and replacing malfunctioned units and furniture, responding on guest's requests and inquiries, flexibility to multi-task, and coordinating to other personnel for concerns and guests' assistance. Housemen must run errands accordingly while complying with the policy standards and security regulations. They should also report any incidents or escalated concerns to the management for immediate resolution.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, environmental services worker responsibilities require skills like "patients," "patient rooms," "medical waste," and "floor care." Meanwhile a typical houseman has skills in areas such as "guest rooms," "front desk," "room attendants," and "linen closets." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Housemen really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $29,884. Comparatively, environmental services workers tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $34,855.On average, housemen reach similar levels of education than environmental services workers. Housemen are 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Environmental services worker vs. Maid
Maids are individuals who perform domestic chores like ironing, grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. Primarily, maids oversee the maintenance of wardrobes, serve meals, and lay out clothes. They can carry out their job independently and adhere to the strict schedules set for them. They maintain the cleaning records as well as the supply inventory in organizations or residences. Maids are expected to be equipped with physical capabilities, along with cleaning, time management, customer service, and organizational skills.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real environmental services worker resumes. While environmental services worker responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "patient rooms," "cleanliness," and "medical waste," maids use skills like "taking care," "laundry room," "bed sheets," and "customers homes."
Maids earn a lower average salary than environmental services workers. But maids earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $27,826. Additionally, environmental services workers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $34,855 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Maids tend to reach similar levels of education than environmental services workers. In fact, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Environmental services worker vs. House cleaner
A house cleaner is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of a property. House cleaners utilize cleaning tools and equipment to perform housecleaning duties efficiently. They often do tasks depending on the schedule set by the homeowners. A house cleaner must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills, especially when doing thorough cleanings for large premises like commercial establishments. They must also inform the homeowners of any accidents and respond to questions and complaints professionally.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from environmental services worker resumes include skills like "patients," "patient rooms," "cleanliness," and "medical waste," whereas a house cleaner is more likely to list skills in "taking care," "home health," "customers homes," and "dependability. "
House cleaners earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $29,790. Environmental services workers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $34,855.When it comes to education, house cleaners tend to earn similar degree levels compared to environmental services workers. In fact, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Environmental services worker vs. Housekeeping attendant
A housekeeping attendant provides comfort to guests in hotels, motels, inns, or resorts. They ensure that guest rooms are clean and that all guests' needs are met. Their key duties may vary from establishment to establishment, but they will generally receive work assignments from their supervisor. Aside from carrying out routine cleaning operations, they replenish room supplies and report maintenance issues.
Types of environmental services worker
Updated January 8, 2025
