Environmental Health Specialist

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST

Registered Environmental Health Specialists (REHS), also known as Sanitarians or Health Inspectors, are key members of communities ensuring public health protection by enforcing local, state and federal environmental health laws. Environmental Health is an ever-growing and challenging field that requires the REHS to have a multi-faceted skill set to ensure communities have clean water, clean air and safe food.

In this wide-ranging and complex profession, environmental health specialists regularly inspect restaurants, drinking water systems, public pools and waste water systems to pre-vent outbreaks of infectious disease and other public health or environmental problems.

REHS’ are persons who by education, training and experience in the sanitary, biological and physical sciences are qualified to perform duties in environmental sanitation, including but not limited to scientific investigation, counseling, education and enforcement. 

Environmental sanitation is the art and science of applying sanitary, biological and physical science principals and knowledge to improve and control the environment and factors therein for the protection of the health and welfare of the public.

Did you know?

As of 04/2016 Oregon had 235 REHS, 26 EHS Trainees and 9 Waste Water Specialists.

Education

To become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist you must have at least a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 45 quarter hours in science courses related to environmental sanitation (biology, chemistry, soil science, physical science, etc.). In addition, applicants must apprentice for 3840 hours under the supervision of a REHS, pass a comprehensive exam and maintain 20 hours of CEUs every 2 years.

Regulation

REHS’ frequently work for public agencies such as county health departments, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Health Authority or Federal agencies at the CDC, EPA, FDA, and USDA.
REHS’ also work for industry, academia, non-profits and the armed forces. Whenever human health and the environment inter-sect, you will find REHS professionals working to keep people and communities safe.
In Oregon, Environmental Health Specialists must be registered by the Health Licensing Office (HLO) which is a state department of licensing and regulation that protects the public from unauthorized, unqualified or unprofessional practice.

Professional Breadth 

Environmental Health Specialist’s scope of practice includes, but is not limited to, any of the following;

• Enforce health and safety standards for food manufacturing and retail sales including restaurants and grocery stores through routine inspections.
• Conduct sanitary surveys of public drinking water systems to ensure compliance with safe drinking water standards.
• Perform inspections of public pools and recreational areas such as hotels, campgrounds and RV parks.
• Inspect schools, childcare and other similar facilities for compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Ensure proper wastewater treatment and disposal through permitting, design and mitigation of leaks or releases.
• Issue citations and appear in court after identifying violations of environmental laws.
• Environmental testing and analysis of water, food, air and soil