<p>Environmental management officers – leadership and employeeship in local environmental health authority</p><p>The purpose of this study was to illustrate the working situation of municipal environmental health management officers. This is a qualitative study where I have interviewed ten environmental officers in ten municipalities in Sweden. The interviews were based on a half structured interview guide with questions. I have interpreted the interviews through different leadership theories. The role of the management officers is divided into many roles. The management officers have many possibilities to get more education in leadership for example they can join a network for environmental management officers or participate in different courses that employer pay. Ten different styles of leadership were found in this study: the manager with focus on administration systems, the Jack-of-all-trades-manager, the coach, the administrative official, the parent-manager, the working too much manager, the manager that get “helicoptered” by higher management, the pragmatic manager, the find out manager and the manager as manager. The employee situation is sometimes turbulent and employee turnover is extensive. The efficiency is low when a lot of time is necessary to continually educate new staff all time. The turnover and lack of development for an environmental health officer is costly because the resulting efficiency is lower than necessary. Working as an environmental health officer is an occupation with external and internal conflicts. More research is needed to develop the area of municipal environmental health in many ways.</p>

Environmental management officers – leadership and employeeship in local environmental health authority The purpose of this study was to illustrate the working situation of municipal environmental health management officers. This is a qualitative study where I have interviewed ten environmental officers in ten municipalities in Sweden. The interviews were based on a half structured interview guide with questions. I have interpreted the interviews through different leadership theories. The role of the management officers is divided into many roles. The management officers have many possibilities to get more education in leadership for example they can join a network for environmental management officers or participate in different courses that employer pay. Ten different styles of leadership were found in this study: the manager with focus on administration systems, the Jack-of-all-trades-manager, the coach, the administrative official, the parent-manager, the working too much manager, the manager that get “helicoptered” by higher management, the pragmatic manager, the find out manager and the manager as manager. The employee situation is sometimes turbulent and employee turnover is extensive. The efficiency is low when a lot of time is necessary to continually educate new staff all time. The turnover and lack of development for an environmental health officer is costly because the resulting efficiency is lower than necessary. Working as an environmental health officer is an occupation with external and internal conflicts. More research is needed to develop the area of municipal environmental health in many ways.

Diepsloot, a township in Johannesburg, South Africa, was used as a case study to explore the perceptions of people in informal settlements towards their role in limiting pollution in their environment. The method followed was qualitative, and primary data were collected through the use of key informants (Ward Councillor and Environmental Health Officer), and three focus groups. Diepsloot is a marginalised residential area located in the Northern perimeter of the City of Johannesburg. The settlement is spatially fragmented, reflects a high residential density and is plagued with high levels of unemployment and poverty. Compounded by poor municipal service delivery, these challenges lead to a range of environmental problems such as overflowing solid waste on the streets, water pollution, and high levels of indoor air pollution. The study found that there were varying levels of commitment to limiting pollution by people in the informal settlement. This (commitment to limiting pollution) was largely dependent on community action through the formation of street committees. In streets where there was community cohesion, street committees were stronger and environmental conditions were better. In contrast, environmental problems were worse where street committees were weak or not operating. Regarding the role of government, the major constraints leading to unresponsive interventions were the limited scale of municipal operation and their poor communication with residents. Suggested corrective measures include recycling, education on pollution and the need for institutional strengthening. Further research aimed at identifying a set of appropriate partnerships and institutions needed for responsive interventions in informal settlements is required.

Syftet är beskriva och analysera tillsynen som arbetssätt samt att utifrån några miljö- och hälsoskyddsinspektörers tankar och erfarenheter reflektera över om det går att finna möjligheter att utveckla tillsynsmetodiken. Frågeställningar är: Vilka uppfattningar och erfarenheter har inspektörerna när det gäller tillsynsmetodiken? Hur ser de på sin yrkesroll och arbetsvillkoren? Hur tänker inspektörerna kring möjligheter och svårigheter när det gäller att utveckla inspektörsjobbet? Studien har genomförts med hjälp av intervjuer, observationer och observationsschema. Resultatet visar att många miljö- och hälsoskyddsinspektörer ofta är utelämnade att på egen hand utarbeta sätt att arbeta på. Utvecklingsmöjligheterna för inspektörerna är begränsade. Inspektörsyrket uppfattas av många inspektörer själva som viktigt och intressant men också som ett yrke med låg status. Slutsatsen är att det behövs både utvecklingsarbete och forskning för att få till stånd en bättre arbetssituation för landets miljö- och hälsoskyddsinspektörer.