Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

Perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other specialist. May collect samples of gases, soil, water, and other materials for testing.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Science
Monitoring
Complex Problem Solving

Key knowledge

Customer and Personal Service
Chemistry
English Language
Biology
Law and Government
Computers and Electronics
Mathematics
Engineering and Technology

What the work involves

Record test data and prepare reports, summaries, or charts that interpret test results.
Collect samples of gases, soils, water, industrial wastewater, or asbestos products to conduct tests on pollutant levels or identify sources of pollution.
Provide information or technical or program assistance to government representatives, employers, or the general public on the issues of public health, environmental protection, or workplace safety.
Calibrate microscopes or test instruments.
Make recommendations to control or eliminate unsafe conditions at workplaces or public facilities.
Prepare samples or photomicrographs for testing and analysis.
Calculate amount of pollutant in samples or compute air pollution or gas flow in industrial processes, using chemical and mathematical formulas.
Discuss test results and analyses with customers.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (68.2% of respondents)
Related experience: None (31.8%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (36.4%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Very low	Lower on contact with others than 81% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 66% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Low	Lower on teamwork than 80% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 78% of occupations compared	55% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very high	Higher on time pressure than 80% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 61% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 58% of occupations compared	41% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Lower on consequence of error than 54% of occupations compared	32% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very high
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions