Develops, enforces and evaluates environmental health policies, programs and strategies to improve health outcomes, and oversees the implementation and monitoring of environmental health legislation. Registration or licensing may be required.

Skill Level

1

Specialisations

• Food Safety Auditor
• Food Safety Officer

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Environmental Health Officer is Vocational Education and Training Assess (VETASSESS). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

• Qualification(s) assessed at Australian Bachelor degree or higher degree with a highly relevant field of study and at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the last five years.
• For nec occupations, VETASSESS conducts a case-by-case assessment to determine whether the employment can be considered highly relevant to the classification. However, if an applicant’s employment is highly relevant to another ANZSCO occupation, the same period of employment cannot be assessed suitably against an nec classification, regardless of whether the occupation is available for migration purposes or not
• Applicants should provide a cover letter that justifies the rationale for choosing an nec category.

develop, implement and evaluate policies and programs to monitor environmental health and occupational health and safety and related legislation to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, and assist injured staff through the workers’ compensation and rehabilitation process.

Tasks

• developing, implementing and reviewing environmental health management plans and occupational health and safety plans
• preparing and implementing plans and strategies for the safe, economic and suitable disposal of commercial, industrial, medical and household wastes
• advising on and enforcing legislation, implementing prevention programs and strategies for communicable diseases, food safety, waste water treatment and disposal systems, recreation and domestic water quality, contaminated and hazardous substances, and minimising air, sea, water and noise pollution to improve health outcomes
• identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in the workplace
• developing, implementing and monitoring programs minimising workplace and environmental pollution involving chemical and physical hazards
• promoting ergonomic principles within the workplace such as matching furniture, equipment and work activities to the needs of employees
• inspecting and auditing workplaces, processes, plant, and chemical and physical hazards for legislative compliance
• training employees in personal protective equipment and safe working procedures
• recording and investigating injuries and equipment damage, and reporting safety performance
• coordinating the return of injured workers into the workplace

Skill Level

Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Registration or licensing may be required.

Occupations in this Group

• 251311 Environmental Health Officer
• 251312 Occupational Health and Safety Adviser