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A
Job To Love
Your suspicions are correct—you’ve
just found E. coli bacteria in a restaurant
after customers became ill with severe
food poisoning. After testing the restaurant’s
food, you discover a box of contaminated
hamburger. While interviewing the restaurant
staff you learn about their food-handling
and sanitation practices. Based on your
investigation, you know that the restaurant
didn’t freeze the raw hamburger
after buying it. They also failed to
cook the hamburger at a high enough
temperature to kill the bacteria. To
deal with the problem, you send a Public
Service Announcement to local newspapers
and radio stations. You also give the
restaurant a formal notice with instructions
on how it must improve its food-handling
and storage procedures in order to stay
open. Thanks to your quick work, lives
were probably saved.
Environmental
health officers inspect all kinds
of public places—from restaurants
to retirement homes—to make sure
communities are protected from accidents
and disease. They work indoors in
offices and at the various workplaces
they inspect. They usually work alone,
but sometimes they consult with health
experts like doctors and nurses. Aboriginal
environmental health officers protect
their communities by testing traditional
foods for contaminants (like mercury)
and finding sources of contamination
so that food sources are kept safe.
While
this job is fulfilling, there are
downsides. As an environmental health
officer, you’ll work in some
unclean environments, which could
expose you to harmful products or
bacteria. Some people might get angry
when you inspect their workplace and
tell them to make improvements, especially
if the improvements will cost a lot.
Then again, you might be a good communicator
who likes to work with people from
all walks of life, especially when
it means keeping them safe and healthy.
Job
Description
Environmental health officers inspect
workplaces and public facilities to
make sure that they follow government
rules for health and safety. They inspect
things like equipment, cleanliness,
and food products. They do this to prevent
accidents and to make sure diseases
aren’t passed through food, water
or animals. For example, an environmental
health officer might test the water
in a public pool to make sure it has
enough chlorine to kill any harmful
bacteria. Environmental health officers
work for the government, public health
agencies, environmental and pollution
control departments, sewage and water
treatment plants, and industrial food
sanitation agencies. Some environmental
health officers work as private consultants.
Job
Duties
- Inspect
public places for contamination
and disease
- Look
into complaints about hazardous
chemical spills and poisonings
- Give
business owners instructions on
how to keep their businesses safe
and healthy
- Close
down businesses that don’t
follow your instructions
- Teach
the public how to avoid contamination,
disease, and workplace accidents
Fact
The bamboo palm is the best plant
for improving indoor air quality.
The bamboo palm removes benzene, carbon
monoxide, and formaldehydes from the
air.
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High
school courses that will prepare you
for this job include math, chemistry,
biology, and English. Aboriginal studies,
history, and languages will prepare
you for work in a multi-cultural setting.
Talk to your career or academic counsellor
about options such as physics, calculus,
and geometry.
The
minimum education requirement for
this job is a college diploma or bachelor’s
degree in environmental health, food
sciences or a related field. Advanced
degrees will make you more competitive
in the job market. With those degrees,
you’ll find it easier to get
a job and negotiate your salary.
Before
entering the workforce, some environmental
health officers require training in:
- Basics
of Infectious Disease
- Environmental
emergencies
- Health
and Safety Legislation Introduction
- Mould
awareness
- Standard
First Aid
- Workplace
Hazardous Materials Information
System (WHMIS)
Look
into specific high school prerequisites
set by the college or university you
would like to attend.
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Environmental
health officers with a college diploma
make an average of $32,000.00 per
year.
Environmental health officers with
a university degree make an average
of $50,000.00 per year.
Environmental health officers with
several years experience and education
make an average of $64,000.00 per
year.
Financial Assistance
In addition to the general scholarship
tips listed in the BUILD MY CAREER
section, the following awards are
specific to environmental health officers:
Rotary Club of Eastview Regina
$500.00 to students in Environmental
Health Studies.
Contact: Chairperson, Student
Services Department
First Nations University of Canada
College West Room 118, University
of Regina
Regina, SK
S4S 0A2
Telephone: (306) 546-8522
Fax: (306) 546-8516
The McLean Foundation Scholarship
$1,500.00 for a graduate student enrolled
in Community Health
Sciences.
Contact: Financial Aid Office,
University of Northern British Columbia
3333 University Way
Prince George, BC
V2N 4Z9
Telephone: (250) 960-6364
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Some
of the best knowledge you’ll
gain for this job will come from listening
to the stories and wisdom of your
relations. Ask your Elders to tell
you how they prevent the contamination
to their water, air, land, fish, and
animals. Ask your Elders how they
measure the health of the community.
Can they tell you something about
the environment based on the colour
and texture of food? Remember that
the time you spend outdoors will make
your studies easier, and your understanding
of the natural world will appeal to
employers.
Relate to people in similar jobs:
- Pollution
control technologist
- Recycled
materials handler
- Waste
management director
Relate
and interact with environmental health
officers. Ask them what they like
about their jobs, and how you should
get started.
Canadian Institute of Public Health
Inspectors
P.O. Box 75264
15180 North Bluff Road
Whiterock, BC
V4B 5L4
Telephone: 1-888-245-8180
website: www.ciphi.ca
The
Canadian Public Health Association
/ Association canadienne de Santé
Publique
400-1565 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K1Z 8R1
Telephone: (613) 725-3769
Fax: (613) 725-9826
email: info@cpha.ca
website: www.cpha.ca
Relate with other students. There
are Aboriginal student associations
and resource centers at most colleges
and universities. Visit these centres
to find out what they have to offer.
Also, look into community, friendship,
and multi-cultural centres.
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