What does a sanitarian do?
Sanitarian responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sanitarian resumes:
- Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
- Evaluate and recommend new sanitary systems to increase the establishment, follow-up, and compliance with NYC and NYS health code.
- Audit plant for GMP compliance.
- Educate clients on proper sanitation and HACCP implementation.
- Apply knowledge of OSHA safety standard concepts, practices, and procedures.
- Report writing on findings of inspections for child care providers and administrative tribunal hearings.
- Collaborate with the CDC, FDA, and other health personnel in epidemiological investigations and control.
- Develop and maintain plant sanitation, hygiene and GMP systems in compliance with plant and corporate quality policies.
- Train food service operators and their staffs on risk assessments in their establishments using the principles of HACCP.
- Train employees on the operation of a new chemical dispensing unit, CIP systems, and proper chemical usage.
- Redevelop several CIP procedures while working closely with outside contractors to test and verify the effectiveness of new procedures.
- Respond to public health concerns including assisting NYC residents during natural disasters and other events with public health concerns.
- Supervise a team of 20 sanitarians, providing training, leadership and support for an off shift vital facility process.
- Supervise a team of 13 that consist of a clerical aid, health educator, and 11 public health sanitarians.
- Testify at administrative tribunal hearings upon request.
Sanitarian skills and personality traits
We calculated that 6% of Sanitarians are proficient in FDA, Inspection Reports, and Federal Laws. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Sanitarians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- FDA, 6%
Performed inspections based upon FDA Food Code.
- Inspection Reports, 6%
Review inspection reports, surveys, inventories and special investigations for completeness and adherence to Department policy.
- Federal Laws, 5%
Assisted in development and updating of procedural manuals and food safety policies to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.
- USDA, 5%
Developed master sanitation periodic spreadsheet and directed compliance in a USDA facility.
- GMP, 5%
Subject matter expert providing food safety, sanitation, and GMP leadership to 30 production facilities in the central United States.
- Federal Regulations, 5%
Ensured that all permitted establishments were in compliance with city, state, and federal regulations.
Common skills that a sanitarian uses to do their job include "fda," "inspection reports," and "federal laws." You can find details on the most important sanitarian responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. One of the key soft skills for a sanitarian to have is ability to use technology. You can see how this relates to what sanitarians do because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Additionally, a sanitarian resume shows how sanitarians use ability to use technology: "conduct and evaluate routine in-plant inspections to prevent any regulatory violations such as fda, kellogg inspection teams. "
Communication skills. Many sanitarian duties rely on communication skills. "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers," so a sanitarian will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways sanitarian responsibilities rely on communication skills: "conducted eh&s; training (e.g., lockout/tagout, emergency response, hazard communication, etc.). "
Detail oriented. sanitarians are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to sanitarian responsibilities, because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians need to understand and follow safety standards and complex government regulations." A sanitarian resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "complete highly technical and detailed inspection reports for all establishment inspections utilizing state-of-the-art computers and word processing, including data entry. "
Physical stamina. For certain sanitarian responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical stamina." The day-to-day duties of a sanitarian rely on this skill, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and be able to travel regularly." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what sanitarians do: "conducted physical inspection of food establishments and lodging using compliance review procedures. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a sanitarian to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what sanitarians relies on this skill, since "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." How this skill relates to sanitarian duties can be seen in an example from a sanitarian resume snippet: "coordinate ehs program at the surgical solutions north haven ct site. "
The three companies that hire the most sanitarians are:
- Compass Group USA11 sanitarians jobs
- Texas6 sanitarians jobs
- Ready Pac Foods5 sanitarians jobs
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Compare different sanitarians
Sanitarian vs. Public health internship
A public health internship provides students with a great learning opportunity to put into practice those educational principles and skills learned in the classroom. They will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the duties and responsibilities of full-time professionals in public health. This exposure will provide students with leadership skills and professional development learning opportunities. In addition, students have an opportunity to contribute to various health-related agencies and organizations. The internship location should be at a primary public health agency whose work reflects the best in the industry.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sanitarian are more likely to require skills like "fda," "inspection reports," "federal laws," and "usda." On the other hand, a job as a public health internship requires skills like "environmental health," "ehs," "patients," and "public health." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, public health interns reach similar levels of education than sanitarians. Public health interns are 3.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sanitarian vs. Health specialist
A health specialist is primarily responsible for the health and welfare care of patients in a community or medical facility. They are also responsible for providing consultations, conducting assessments and examinations, providing prescriptions, and recommending care methods. A health specialist may also diagnose and treat ailments and injuries, coordinate with other health experts, and discuss conditions with patients and their families. Furthermore, a health specialist may participate in public discussions to raise awareness of health issues and lifestyles.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real sanitarian resumes. While sanitarian responsibilities can utilize skills like "inspection reports," "federal laws," "usda," and "gmp," health specialists use skills like "patients," "health education," "public health," and "data collection."
Health specialists may earn a higher salary than sanitarians, but health specialists earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $56,603. On the other hand, sanitarians receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $48,591.health specialists earn similar levels of education than sanitarians in general. They're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sanitarian vs. Radiation safety officer
A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, sanitarians are more likely to have skills like "inspection reports," "federal laws," "usda," and "gmp." But a radiation safety officer is more likely to have skills like "safety procedures," "radiation safety," "health physics," and "rso."
When it comes to education, radiation safety officers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to sanitarians. In fact, they're 3.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sanitarian vs. Health & safety officer
Types of sanitarian
Updated January 8, 2025
