requirements exceeded those covered by the generalist REHS/RS. For emergency prepared- ness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Incident Command System (ICS) series was recommended. Because a high proportion of EPH sta and manag- ers participate in emergency preparedness activities on an as-needed basis, ICS training should be valuable for all EPH professionals. Other specialty trainings noted by >50% of both sta and managers included: • Certified pool operator training for sta in swimming pool and recreational water programs • Integrated pest and vector management training for vector control programs • Installers for onsite wastewater programs • Bloodborne pathogens training for body art programs • Lead risk assessor certification for lead pre- vention programs Although not a formal credential, a high value was ascribed to on-the-job training across all program areas (Table 6). This find- ing likely reflects the need for sta to become familiar with local regulations and commu- nity standards for programs that could be specific to the agency. Discussion The dynamic nature of the EPH profession is demonstrated by the range of program activi- ties that governmental EPH professionals conduct on both a seasonal basis and year- round. The results of our survey could help promote a greater common identity of gov- ernmental EPH programs and sta by sug- gesting guidelines for EPH education, train- ing, and professional activities that are both widely acceptable and capable of being scaled to meet the diverse needs of both large and small EPH departments. Although our study assessed the EPH pro- fession on a program basis, there are EPH duties that lie outside of formally established programs. EPH—specifically local EPH—is an essential workforce that contributes to the daily protection of population health and also serves as a capacity workforce for emer- gency response when needed. For example, responding to the increasing occurrence of severe weather events could require EPH eorts that are not funded through fee-per- service activities of established programs in most local EPH departments.
TABLE 4
Percent Agreement of Workload per Unit of Time Reasonableness by Program and Position Level
Program
Activity Level
% Agreement * Staff/Manager
66/73 57/69 35/50 67/81 46/70 66/78 47/59 39/51 90/82 42/54 69/81 32/67 66/68 29/51 75/70 49/55
Food safety/food protection
3–4 inspections per day 3–4 inspections per day 4–5 inspections per day 3–4 activities per week 4–5 activities per week 4–5 activities per week 5–6 activities per week >6 activities per week 2–3 inspections per day 3–4 inspections per day 3–4 inspections per week 4–5 inspections per week 3–4 inspections per week 4–5 inspections per week 2–3 activities per week 3–4 activities per week
Swimming pools/recreational water safety
Potable water
Onsite wastewater
School safety and inspection
Body art
Early childcare/daycare
Lead prevention
* Bolded numbers indicate that a majority of both staff and managers agreed with the activity level.
respondents. These programs included food safety/food protection (agreement of 50% sta, 58% managers), potable water (agree- ment of 55% sta, 56% managers), lead prevention (agreement of 50% sta, 51% managers), and onsite wastewater (agree- ment of 53% sta, 57% managers). Respon- dents from other programs, although lower in percentage, still agreed with this prefer- ence: body art (agreement of 45% sta, 52% managers), school safety (agreement of 44% sta, 50% managers), early childcare/daycare (agreement of 46% sta, 52% managers), and vector control (agreement of 45% sta, 44% managers). For emergency prepared- ness, both sta and managers preferred a bachelor’s degree, with sta (31%) reporting acceptance of any type of major and manag- ers (29%) preferring that the degree be in the sciences. Credentialing Standards The Registered Environmental Health Spe- cialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) is a generalist credential administered by some
individual states and NEHA. In our survey, REHS/RS registration was recognized as a valuable credential across all program areas (Table 6). In total, >50% of respondents rec- ommended either state or NEHA registration as a minimum requirement for food safety/ food protection (agreement of 63% sta, 69% managers), school safety (agreement of 66% sta, 68% managers), onsite wastewa- ter (agreement of 59% sta, 65% managers), potable water (agreement of 59% sta, 64% managers), early childcare/daycare (agree- ment of 53% sta, 61% managers), body art (agreement of 59% sta, 56% managers), and swimming pools/recreational water safety (agreement of 54% sta, 55% managers). Other programs, although lower in percent- age, still agreed that the REHS/RS is a valu- able credential: lead prevention (agreement of 60% sta, 43% managers), vector control (agreement of 45% sta, 46% managers), and emergency preparedness (agreement of 38% sta, 36% managers). Specialty credentials were recommended for several programs where knowledge
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July/August 2025 • Journal of Environmental Health
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