Environmental health officers are an untapped source of knowledge and skills that can be better used by councils in planning for climate change at a community level, according to a new study.

Professor James Smith from the Flinders University College of Science and Engineering surveyed local government managers to determine the extent to which EHOs are involved in adaptation planning in climate change plans.

His findings suggest that instead of being utilised as valuable resource for building community climate resilience, they are being wasted on regulatory activities.

“What our research is tending to indicate is that their inspectorial function and is perceived as their major role,” he told Government News.

“There are over 3,000 EHOs in Australia. They’re running around doing inspections but they really should be doing more than just that.”

Public health planning for climate change

Professor Smith says EHOs are well placed to play a role because they are at the coal face of the community.

As such they have significant potential to contribute to climate change adaptation planning in public health, and should be given the opportunity to do it.

Professor Smith’s research, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, surveyed local government executives about their perception of EHO-associated activities.

The findings demonstrated that while climate adaptation and mitigation planning is occurring in local government in terms of big ticket events like flood, fires and heatwaves, the public health impacts of climate change  – what he calls ‘basic climate adaptation’ – are being sidelined.

This includes areas like food and water safety, which could become collateral damage of climate change.

“Primarily, it was found that this oversight was due to a lack of awareness of the health impacts of climate change outside of a disaster or emergency scenario,” he reports.

“Currently, EHOs are an untapped source of knowledge and skills that can contribute to climate change adaption planning.”

Inspectorial role

The survey was undertaken nationally over May and June 2022 and received 52 responses, including 28 from executives.

Asked about what they thought the role of EHOs was, executives listed regulatory activities like asbestos, clandestine laboratories, liquor licence applications, noise complaints and public health complaints such as hoarding.

There are over 3,000 EHOs in Australia. They’re running around doing inspections but they really should be doing more than just that.

Professor James Smith

Asked why EHOs weren’t involved in climate mitigation, most said other departments were doing this. Some also believed EHOs had more important priorities, or lacked appropriate skills and knowledge.

“I think the survey shows clearly the perception of EHOs having simply an inspectorial role,” Professor Smith says.

“You only have to look at where EHOs are located in their organisations – they’re in with the guys doing traffic work and local laws.

“These are university qualified people in science. Anybody can do inspections. These people have actually been trained to look a bit deeper than just what they first see.”

Professor Smith cites food safety as an example.

“With food safety it is critical to keep cold food at or below 5C from paddock to plate,” he says.

“But with increasing temperatures and humidity, rising energy costs, increased energy usage of refrigeration units, and projected changes in the ecology of food-borne pathogens, there will be a need for heightened awareness and risk assessment by EHOs of local food manufacturing, retail food services, catering, community events and community services like Meals on Wheels.”

Overlooked and undervalued

Professor Smith says councils need to better understand what their EHOs are currently engaged in, and make sure they are plugged into community-level planning processes around climate change including day-to-day health protection.

“Our previous research has shown EHOs are overlooked and undervalued. I just don’t think management realises what they are capable of doing,” he says.

“The point we’re raising as researchers, is that we need to start pivoting a little bit, orientating ourselves towards where is demand going to be in the next years.”

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