Environmental Technician Spotlight
- 2 min read
Environmental Technicians bring the environment back to engineers and scientists in the office. They monitor and test natural habitats to understand, measure and remediate any industry impacts. Not only do they care about the environment, they also want to be part of the solution.
What a typical day looks like:
Environmental Technicians work inside the oil and gas industry to protect natural habitats, which involves working outside. Their work might begin by mapping and building a number of monitoring stations to test a specific area. They’ll gather baseline air, water and soil samples and then continue to collect samples from these stations on a regular basis to make sure they are functioning properly.
Once their samples and data have been collected, the Environmental Technician takes the collected samples to the laboratory for analysis. This will let them know if there are emission trends they should be worried about and if the quality levels are above or below legal limits. They then work to prepare a summary report of their findings. Depending on the results, they may start remediation work. If remediation work is needed, the Environmental Technician develops remediation plans under the direction of engineering staff.
While some Environmental Technicians spend the majority of their time working in the field, others primarily analyze results in a lab setting. Either way, they spend a lot of time on their feet, which requires some physical endurance. They may be required to carry and set up heavy testing and monitoring equipment and they will need to be able to crouch and bend frequently.
These technicians are typically employed in the exploration and production (E&P), oil and gas services, oil sands and pipelines sectors of the oil and gas industry.
The kinds of problems Environmental Technicians solve at work:
Environmental Technicians work with a team to find solutions to large, complex problems. When emission trends are on the rise or remediation plans are needed, they will combine their gathered data with their critical thinking skills to help find solutions that will work and protect the environment.
Skills used most on the job:
Environmental Technicians are proficient in math and can use computers. They also stay up to date with current technologies. They have strong critical thinking skills and are a member of a team, so they have excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills.
The river is their office. The forest is their cubicle. The sky is their workstation. Environmental Technicians collect and test air, water and soil samples to make sure their company is in compliance with all environmental laws and regulations and to help protect natural habitats.