Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Class Specifications – E.10
Principal Environmental Health and Safety Technician – 7141
Senior Environmental Health and Safety Technician – 7142
Environmental Health and Safety Technician – 7143
September 1976, Updated July 2026
Series Concept
Environmental Health and Safety Technicians perform and/or supervise technical duties in the fields of industrial hygiene, safety engineering, environmental sanitation, fire protection engineering, and radiological health; and perform other related duties as required.
Incumbents typically perform work under the professional direction of an Environmental Health and Safety Technologist and execute a variety of technical assignments in one or more major areas of a campus or medical center environmental health and safety program. Positions in the Environmental Health and Safety Technician series differ from those in the Environmental Health and Safety Technologist series in that technologists are typically assigned responsibility for planning, implementing, and/or supervising all activities within one or more major areas of a campus or medical center environmental health and safety program. In contrast, Environmental Health and Safety Technicians typically provide technical support to the technologists; however, technicians are expected to operate relatively independently when performing their assigned duties.
The series is broadly defined to include, but not necessarily limited to, five specialty fields: industrial hygiene, safety engineering, environmental sanitation, fire protection engineering, and radiological health. Incumbents are usually assigned duties in one of the specialties; however, they may be assigned technical duties involving more than one specialty field, or covering an entire campus, hospital, or large laboratory facility.
The following examples illustrate typical responsibilities assigned in specialty areas; however, some positions may involve crossover duties that require equivalent technical knowledge and skill across multiple specialties.
Industrial Hygiene
Technical responsibilities include control of exposures to chemical hazards, noise and nonionizing radiation, disposal of hazardous chemicals, pesticide surveillance, ventilation control, hearing conservation and heat stress evaluation.
Environmental Sanitation
Technical responsibilities include biological hazard control, laboratory animal care and control, pest control, food sanitation, water protection, surveillance of solid waste and sewage disposal, communicable disease prevention, swimming pool safety and sanitation, housing sanitation and epidemiological investigations.
Radiological Health
Technical responsibilities include monitoring radiation exposure with bioassay and dosimetry, collecting and disposing of radioactive waste, conducting training in radiation safety procedures, and controlling the use of X-ray production equipment.
Safety Engineering
Technical responsibilities include accident investigation and prevention, risk management and loss control, vision conservation, diving safety, emergency preparedness, and the identification, assessment and resolution of safety hazards and safety code deficiencies.
Fire Prevention Engineering
Technical responsibilities include designing, constructing, and maintaining structures in compliance with fire prevention and life safety codes and standards, installing and maintaining fixed and portable emergency fire suppression equipment, coordinating occupant evacuation procedures, and designing, testing, and maintaining fire alarm systems and fire prevention measures.
Class Concepts
Principal Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Principal incumbents perform the most difficult technical duties in one or more areas of an environmental health and safety program, typically involving coordination with various campus or medical center departments. Incumbents may supervise lower-level technicians performing routine technical assignments and are expected to independently plan their work and carry out assigned duties with minimal supervision.
Senior Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Under supervision, incumbents perform the majority of duties outlined in the Series Concept. This is the operational level within the series, and incumbents are expected to operate independently in carrying out assigned duties of moderate difficulty.
Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Under close supervision, incumbents perform entry-level technical duties in one or more major areas of an environmental health and safety program. Assignments at this level are routine in nature and follow established guidelines and procedures. Work is subject to review by higher-level environmental health and safety technical and professional staff.
Minimum Qualifications
Principal Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Graduation from high school or a General Education Diploma and four years of experience in an environmental health and safety program, or two years of college including appropriate science courses and three years of experience in an environmental health and safety program; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.
Senior Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Graduation from high school or a General Education Diploma and two years of experience in an environmental health and safety program, or two years of college including appropriate science courses and one year of experience in an environmental health and safety program; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.
Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Graduation from high school or a General Education Diploma and one year of experience in an environmental health and safety program, or two years of college including appropriate science courses; or an equivalent combination of education and experience; and knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position.