Do you know the role of environmental health officers (EHOs)? Along with disaster and pandemic preparedness, EHOs help keep water and restaurants clean to reduce disease and food poisoning – and increasingly respond to new potential public health disasters related to climate change.
Environmental Health is the branch of public health that controls the environmental factors that affect human health, says Dr Kirstin Ross, Professor of Environmental Health at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering.
“EHOs are the front-line professionals who act as the eyes and ears of health authorities, ensuring communities live in healthy, hazard-free environments, but the work of EHOs mostly goes unnoticed.”
While the growing role of EHOs in local government and other agencies is relatively unknown, a national and global shortage of these trained professions has emerged, says Professor Ross, who is celebrating 30 years of Environmental Health at Flinders University this year.
“Once commonly known as health or sanitary inspectors, climate change and COVID-19 are adding to the important roles and responsibilities of EHOs in our society,” she says.
“From appropriate food, drinking water and sewage disposal – to vaccinations and heatwave and bushfire planning – improvements in environmental health have had a profound impact on people’s health and life expectancy. Reducing health hazards in turn reduces the pressure on our healthcare systems.
“While quite invisible in public perceptions, EHOs are increasingly playing key roles in dealing with emerging environmental health issues and helping to shape policy to safeguard our future.”
Almost 600 Environmental Health qualifications have been awarded since courses commenced at Flinders University 30 years ago. Guest alumni and dignitaries – including Health Minister, the Hon Chris Picton MP, and Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier – joined academics and other guests at the new Flinders City Campus to celebrate the professional pathways and environmental health courses and qualifications.
Flinders University Associate Professor in Environmental Health Harriet Whiley adds that EHOs are not as visible as traditional healthcare roles such as doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, adds
She says EHOs focus on broad roles such as monitoring, surveillance and investigation and regulation setting, rather than care of individual citizens.
“In fact, public health interventions that address environmental factors can have the greatest impact on health at a population level compared with individual public health approaches.
“And with weather extremes among the great emerging threat to global public health posed by climate change, EHOs will be vital in communities preparing for emergencies and natural disasters including fires, heat, storms, floods and outbreaks of infectious diseases.”