Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

What the job really is

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

At a glance

• Sector: Life, Physical & Social Science
• O*NET-SOC code: 19-2041
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
• Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
• Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
• Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
• Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
• Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
• Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
• Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
• Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
• Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.
• Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff.
• Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, C++, ESRI ArcGIS software, Geographic information system GIS systems, IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Environmental Compliance Inspectors
• Environmental Engineers
• Industrial Ecologists
• Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
• Conservation Scientists
• Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
• Climate Change Policy Analysts

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.