What Do Environmental Health Workers Do?
Environmental health workers are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to environmental health and providing support to minimize health and safety hazards.
Common duties of environmental health workers include collecting samples of water, soil, waste and animal matter; transporting and documenting samples; verifying code and regulatory compliance; investigating complaints; preparing and maintaining records; and other duties as needed.
Where Do Environmental Health Workers Work?
Environmental health workers are usually employed by local government or state health authorities to advise on and enforce public health standards. However, many are employed in the private sector, the military, and other third sector agencies such as charities and NGOs.
What Do Environmental Health Workers Earn?
According to the 2019 BLS, the average salary for full time, environmental science and protection technicians (environmental health workers) nationwide was $50,760, varying by specialty and geographic region. Average annual salary also varies greatly across New York State, depending on location. The NYSDOL reports that environmental science and protection technicians in New York earned an average annual salary of $50,490, (entry level-$31,020, experienced- $79,710).
Supply and Demand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and its Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program place Environmental Health Workers in the occupational category of “Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health” will increase 12.1% in the U.S. and by 22.0% in New York during the same time period.
For more information on projections of environmental health workers by New York State labor regions, 2014-2024, click here.
New York Educational/Licensure Requirements
The educational requirements for environmental health workers vary. Environmental health workers working in government agencies may have more stringent requirements than those working in other locations. Most environmental science and protection technicians need an associate degree or two years of postsecondary training. Sometimes new technicians are trained on the job by more experienced environmental science and protection technicians. Higher level environmental health workers, such as environmental engineers and scientists need a bachelor’s degree with a substantial number of college credits in the sciences. The types of science courses required may differ depending on the specific area of interest or concentration. Master’s or doctoral degrees are available in environmental health, engineering, and science.
New York does not require licensure for environmental health workers.
Financial Support
In addition to scholarships offered at different schools, scholarships for environmental health workers are available from the National Environmental Health Association: http://www.neha.org/students/index.html.
Educational Programs in New York (subject to change)
| Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health 722 West 168th Street New York, NY 10032-0403 (212) 305-3464 or (212) 305-3466 |
New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice 40 Sunshine Cottage Rd Valhalla, NY 10595 (914) 594-4000 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology College of Applied Science and Technology One Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623-5603 (585) 475-2411 |
University at Albany-SUNY School of Public Health 1 University Place Rensselaer, NY 12144 (518) 402-0283 |
| University at Buffalo- SUNY 401 Kimball Tower Buffalo, NY 14260 (716) 829-5000 |
SUNY Downstate Medical Center School of Public Health 450 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11203 (718) 270-1065 |
| CUNY Graduate School of Public Health 55 W 125th St New York, NY 10027 (646) 364-9600 |
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University |
Additional Web Links
For more information about environmental health workers, please visit these websites:
American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists: http://www.aaees.org/
American Academy of Sanitarians: www.sanitarians.org
American Public Health Association: www.apha.org
Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors: http://www.aeesp.org/
National Environmental Health Association: www.neha.org
New York State Public Health Association: http://nyspha.roundtablelive.org/
Public Health Association of New York City: http://www.phanyc.org/
Public Health Online: www.publichealthonline.org/