Environmental Health

The Environmental Health team at Metro North Public Health Unit work to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of individuals and the community by preventing illness and injury arising from environmental health hazards.

Our team is responsible for administering, monitoring, enforcing, and promoting compliance with the following public health legislation (and subordinate legislation):

• Food Act 2006
• Medicines and Poisons Act 2019
• Medicines and Poisons (Medicines) Regulation 2021
• Medicines and Poisons (Pest Management Activities) Regulation 2021
• Medicines and Poisons (Poisons and Prohibited Substances) Regulation 2021
• Public Health Act 2005
• Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998
• Water Fluoridation Act 2008
• Radiation Safety Act 1999

 Working collaboratively with our Medical Entomologist, Epidemiologists and Communicable Disease teams, the key services we deliver include:

• The monitoring, enforcement and promotion of Food Safety and Standards including the management of food borne illnesses outbreaks
• The provision of expert advice on water quality and safety, as well as the water risk management in healthcare facilities
• The monitoring and enforcement of tobacco legislation
• The safe, appropriate and effective management of medicines and poisons by authorised persons
• The protection of persons and the environment from harmful effects of sources of ionising and non-ionising radiation through the monitoring and enforcement of individuals and corporations with a radiation source possession licence
• The provision of advice and risk assessments of various Environmental Hazards
• The investigation of infection control breaches at declared health facilities