A Day In The Life of Rachel Smith -Environmental Health

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICER
October 6, 2008 by Rachel Smith

It’s difficult to talk about a typical day as an EHP. I suppose the best way to describe it would be as a varied day, with no two ever quite being the same. Working as an Environmental Health Practitioner gives you a responsibility for the health and safety of the public; this may be through cases dealing with food poisoning incidents, accidents at work, environmental pollution problems or wider community issues such as smoking and obesity. I think that whatever your interest is, as long as you want a varied, interesting and challenging job, there is a role within environmental health for you. Since becoming an EHP I have leant an enormous amount about the place where I live, the problems people face and how I can help to find solutions to them. It gives me a great sense of achievement when I help make a difference to some one’s life; for example, when someone that has been suffering from neighbour’s constantly playing loud music into the evening and being unable to sleep, is able to relax and enjoy their home again. The day will always begin by prioritising the cases I need to deal with and then those that I’m faced with during the day. As an EHP I’m given the freedom to organise my own working day which may involve office work, meetings with clients, evidence gathering and/or site visits. I enjoy site visits and meeting with new people, seeing new problems and getting my hands dirty! This may be through looking for evidence of rats in an area, testing drainage systems, assessing levels of noise or just having a look around a food business. One of the most important parts of the job is the interaction with the public and the colourful and, sometimes, bizarre individuals that you get to meet. Each day involves speaking with companies and members of the company in various circumstances - on the phone, at peoples’ homes, at factories or in the middle of a field. I give guidance and advice about a variety of different issues and, if a solution cannot be found, I may have to take legal action to solve problems or protect public health. Being an Environmental Health Practitioner offers a great deal of opportunities for working in different areas of expertise. It’s important to expect the unexpected as the people I meet and the problems I’m faced with never cease to surprise me. You won’t find an EHP without an amusing anecdote or two!

Posted in A Day In The Life of A Public Health Officer | October 6, 2008 by Rachel Smith North Norfolk District Council