NOC 21120: Public and environmental health and safety professionals
What public and environmental health and safety professionals do
Public and environmental health and safety professionals review, evaluate and monitor public health and environmental safety hazards and develop strategies to prevent, control and eliminate disease and environmental impact caused by biological and chemical factors. They inspect restaurants, industrial establishments, municipal water systems, public facilities and institutions to ensure compliance with government regulations regarding sanitation, pollution control and the handling and storage of hazardous substances. They are employed throughout the public and private sectors.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Inspect the sanitary conditions of restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals and other public facilities or institutions
- Conduct surveys and monitoring programs of the natural environment to identify sources of pollution
- Collect biological and chemical samples and specimens for analysis; measure physical, biological and chemical; and conduct safety and environmental audits
- Investigate health and safety related complaints, spills of hazardous chemicals, outbreaks of diseases or poisonings
- Inspect workplaces to ensure that equipment, materials and production processes do not present environmental hazards to the environment or a health and safety hazard to employees or to the general public
- Lead the development and the implementation of public safety and environmental health and safety programs and strategies to mitigate risk and optimize the general public and worker's health and safety and environmental protection
- Initiate enforcement procedures to fine or to close an establishment contravening municipal, provincial or federal regulations
- Provide consultation and deliver training programs to employers, employees and the general public on issues of public health, environmental protection or workplace safety.
Job titles under NOC 21120
45 job titles are classified here, including environmental health officer, environmental officer, environmental safety advisor.
- beauty salon inspector
- dangerous goods inspector - railway transport
- dangerous waste inspector
- enforcement officer - environmental health
- environmental health and safety advisor
- environmental health and safety coordinator - public health and environmental safety
- environmental health inspector
- environmental health inspectors supervisor
- environmental health officer
- environmental health officers supervisor
- environmental officer
- environmental safety advisor
- environmental safety consultant
- environmental safety officer
- environmental safety specialist
- flood damage inspector
- food inspector
- hazardous waste inspector
- health standards inspector
- hotel and restaurant inspector - public health
- industrial waste control inspector
- mine examiner
- nursing home inspector
- pollution control inspector
Employment requirements
- A bachelor's degree in a discipline such as food science, environmental studies, chemistry or health and safety is usually required.
- Public health inspectors employed outside Quebec require certification with the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors.
- Environmental health and safety professionals may require certification with the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP).
Public and environmental health and safety professionals wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $29.33/hr | $45.00/hr | $56.41/hr |
Toronto ON | $30.78/hr | $46.35/hr | $64.41/hr |
Montréal QC | $27.96/hr | $45.64/hr | $56.41/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $34.36/hr | $45.00/hr | $64.10/hr |
Calgary AB | $29.44/hr | $45.22/hr | $68.87/hr |
Edmonton AB | $29.64/hr | $45.15/hr | $68.91/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $22.00/hr | $35.90/hr | $41.44/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $27.96/hr | $45.64/hr | $56.41/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $31.03/hr | $45.53/hr | $65.46/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $30.37/hr | $44.57/hr | $64.41/hr |
Halifax NS | $27.50/hr | $43.96/hr | $53.85/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $31.51/hr | $45.95/hr | $64.98/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $23.00/hr | $39.18/hr | $46.78/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $23.00/hr | $39.18/hr | $46.78/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $29.60/hr | $41.00/hr | $53.85/hr |
Nova Scotia | $32.97/hr | $41.58/hr | $53.85/hr |
New Brunswick | $30.00/hr | $41.00/hr | $51.58/hr |
Quebec | $27.96/hr | $45.64/hr | $56.41/hr |
Ontario | $31.40/hr | $46.67/hr | $65.93/hr |
Manitoba | $25.05/hr | $36.00/hr | $46.70/hr |
Saskatchewan | $23.00/hr | $39.18/hr | $46.78/hr |
Alberta | $28.78/hr | $45.43/hr | $67.18/hr |
British Columbia | $32.97/hr | $45.00/hr | $64.10/hr |
Using NOC 21120 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 45 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers (NOC 43202)
- Construction inspectors (NOC 22233)
- Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers (NOC 22231)
- Ergonomist (NOC 41400)
- Occupational health and safety specialists (NOC 22232)
- Occupational hygienist (NOC 41400)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for public and environmental health and safety professionals?
Public and environmental health and safety professionals are NOC 2021 unit group 21120. Example job titles in this group include environmental health officer, environmental officer, environmental safety advisor, hazardous waste inspector.
What TEER is NOC 21120?
NOC 21120 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do public and environmental health and safety professionals earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $45.00/hr, about $88,000 a year full-time, with a range of $29.33/hr to $56.41/hr.
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.