EHOs aim to keep water, food, air, land, facilities, and other environmental attributes in compliance with local legislation.
They control health hazards, including biological, chemical, or physical through the application of environmental safety law.
[2][3] They also assess and control environmental factors that can potentially affect health to prevent disease and create health-supportive environments.
Inspectors play a crucial role in improving population health by reducing the incidence of disease and its consequences.
As practitioners, they work with government agencies, local municipalities, businesses, and community groups to protect public health.
[15] Depending on the jurisdiction, EHOs may have broad job duties, including inspecting swimming pools, substandard housing conditions, shelters, public schools, daycares, nursing homes, conveyances (e.g., cruise ships, ferries, airplanes, trains), and personal service establishments (e.g., tattoo parlors, tanning salons, beauty salons, laser hair removal facilities, barbershops).
Depending on their educational background and training, they can provide information and referrals concerning lead, radon, mould, and emerging diseases (e.g., West Nile virus, avian influenza, COVID-19).
These inspectors, appointed by the Venetian Senate and later by the Council of Ten, were among the earliest forms of organized public health efforts.
These early inspectors, including a former cleric and a justice of the peace, played a crucial role in addressing the health and sanitation issues arising from industrialization.
In 1883, the Association of Public Sanitary Inspectors, which later became the United Kingdom's Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, was established.
This progression also mirrors International Trends, as the titles and roles of environmental health officers have adapted to reflect their advanced education and expanding responsibilities.
[18][19][20] "Inspector of Nuisances" was a title given to officials in various English-speaking jurisdictions, primarily associated with public health and sanitation from the mid-19th century onwards.
The first Inspector of Nuisances appointed by a UK local authority health committee was Thomas Fresh in Liverpool in 1844.
In the United States, an example of the continued use of the title 'Inspector of Nuisances', albeit with a different scope, is found in Section 3767 of the Ohio Revised Code.
The minimum requirements in most countries include an approved university degree program, field training, and professional certification and registration.
The current requirements to become an authorised officer under the Food Act 1984 in Victoria are defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
To maintain the CPHI(C) credential, practitioners must be registered with CIPHI and submit professional development hours annually.
To become a Public Health Inspector (PHI) in Sri Lanka, applicants are required to be male, to be over 5' 2" tall, and must have passed 2 subjects from Chemistry, Physics, Agriculture, Combined mathematics, Biology with a Credit Pass for Biology or Combined Mathematics in one sitting at the G.C.E.
[citation needed] Following the educational requirements and practical training period, competence must then be demonstrated through an experiential learning logbook and oral examination before registration is granted.