EHO Knows Podcast for Envirmoental Health Officers
The Podcast for
Environmental Health Officers
Hosted by Shane van de Vorstenbosch, EHO Knows takes you inside the daily life of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs). This podcast blends industry insights, practical tips, and humour to help you navigate the world of environmental health.
Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned EHO, each episode offers valuable lessons, personal stories, and expert advice. We explore both the highs and lows of the job, showing how hindsight can lead to better practices.
Episode 1: The Salmonella Bomb
In our very first episode of EHO Knows, Shane welcomes veteran EHO Lauriston Muirhead for a fascinating look into how a single contaminated egg led to a mass food poisoning outbreak, hospitalising over 100 people.
Lauriston, takes you through the step-by-step investigation from the initial phone call to the process of tracing the outbreak’s source. He reveals how a combination of factors created the perfect storm for a devastating Salmonella outbreak.
Episode 2: Thrown in the Deep End
In this episode, Shane sits down with EHO Cameron Smith to discuss the unexpected challenge of the Lismore floods disaster.
Cameron shares his first-hand experience of waking up to find an entire city submerged, with thousands of people stranded and in desperate need of food, shelter, and medical care. As an EHO, Cameron was suddenly responsible for coordinating emergency evacuation centres, ensuring access to clean water, handling sanitation concerns, and preventing disease outbreaks.
Episode 3: Pied Piper
In episode three of EHO Knows, host Shane sits down with Environmental Health Officer Max Payne (not that one) to uncover a shocking case of a rat infestation hidden beneath a major shopping centre. What started as a single employee complaint about rodents quickly escalated into a full-scale health crisis, exposing multiple restaurants, food storage areas, and even centre management.
Max takes us deep into the underground storage areas of the centre, where he and his team discovered a colony of hundreds of rats thriving in an open-earth mound beneath the complex. This episode is a good reminder that food safety failures like this don’t just happen in small, back-alley eateries.
Episode 4: How to save the World
In a break from the usual case-based format, Shane sits down with the enthusiastic and passionate Ariana Johnson to explore what makes being an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) such a unique and rewarding career, especially for younger professionals entering the field. Ariana’s energy and enthusiasm bring a fresh perspective to the profession, making it clear why so many people find it so rewarding.
Episode 5: A New EHOpe
In episode five of EHO Knows, host Shane sits down with Sarah Ainsworth, President of Environmental Health Australia (NSW), for the first of a two-part discussion on the future of environmental health.
With councils increasingly under-resourced and environmental health professionals facing growing responsibilities without proper recognition this episode isn’t just about the struggles EHOs face it’s about solutions.
Episode 6: Law & Order
In episode six of EHO Knows, Shane teams up with Jason Scarborough for a deep dive into what happens when EHOs are called to testify. Jason, a regulatory expert, shares his insights on how EHOs can prepare for court, handle aggressive cross-examinations, and deliver credible, confident testimony. With real-life case studies, including one where a slam-dunk confession still resulted in a dismissed charge.
Episode 7: El Presidente Strikes Back
In episode seven of EHO Knows, host Shane reunites with Sarah Ainsworth, President of Environmental Health Australia (NSW), to continue their conversation. As technology reshapes the way we work and live, how can environmental health professionals harness innovation to improve outcomes or how might they hinder them? Sarah reflects on how EHOs can stay ahead of the curve, adapt to emerging pressures, and continue playing a vital role in protecting public health, while also pushing for the recognition and support the profession deserves.
Episode 8: Departing Waters
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane sits down with Andrew Waters for his second episode on flood but this time taking a look at the aftermath. Listen in for a fascinating conversation about arriving at Fitzroy Crossing in the wake of devastating floods. Andrew shares what it was like to be on the ground; the challenges, the heartbreak, and the resilience of the people impacted. From the logistical hurdles to the moments of unexpected joy and hope.
Episode 9: The Future is Now
In this episode of EHO Knows, host Shane sits down with educator, advocate, and tech-savvy environmental health expert Andrew Mathieson for a deep dive into how technology is reshaping the world of Environmental Health Officers.
From the big-picture potential of AI and real-time monitoring to the everyday wins of ATP swabs and remote inspections, Andrew shares insights into the tools that are already making a difference, and the ones EHOs should be preparing for.
Episode 10: Going Public
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane sits down with Lydia Buchtmann, the tenacious force behind the Food Safety Information Council. For nearly 30 years, Lydia has championed public education on everything from handwashing to deadly mushrooms. Discover how food safety education supports the work of EHOs and how getting involved can amplify your impact and help build a safer, more food-literate Australia.
Please consider supporting the food safety information council: https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/
Episode 11: Beauty and the Beast
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane sits down with Tanya Morrison, Environmental Health Officer and President of the New Zealand Institute of Environmental Health. With years of research into tattooing, piercing, and beauty therapy across New Zealand and abroad, Tanya exposes the hidden public health risks lurking in the largely unregulated appearance industry. from infections and allergic reactions to the troubling absence of consistent by-laws. Discover how her work is shining a light on this overlooked sector and why stronger regulation is vital to protect community wellbeing.
Episode 12: A Pub with no Fear
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane sits down with seasoned Environmental Health Officer Megan Nilon, who takes us to a tiny Western Queensland town of just 100 people. Inside a century-old country pub, Megan uncovers everything from pest infestations to major structural issues, but what follows is a remarkable transformation. Through education, empathy, and persistence, she helps turn a struggling business into a thriving community hub, showing how EHOs can spark change that reaches far beyond compliance and into the heart of local pride and wellbeing.
Episode 13: Sharing isn't Caring
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane is joined by Dr. Greg Whiteley former EHO and now a global authority on hygiene science for a fascinating and confronting deep dive into handwashing and cross-contamination. Greg uncovers the unseen world of microbes that travel across nineteen touches, the hidden dangers of dirty rags and poorly designed sinks, and how everyday cleaning practices can actually make pathogens stronger.
Episode 14: Caring is not Sharing
In part two of Dr. Greg Whiteley’s conversation he take us deep into one of the most dangerous environments for cross-contamination: the hospital ICU with double-disinfected wards still riddled with biofilm.
With real cases, hard science, and more than a touch of humour, Greg demonstrates why illness often starts long before symptoms appear.
Episode 15: Virus of the Caribbean
In this jet-setting part one of Shane’s interview with Dr Stephanie Fletcher-Lartey about her journey through the very early days of COVID-19.
From Sydney to the Caribbean, Stephanie shares how she stepped into a senior regional public health role just as a mysterious new virus began to emerge, helping 27 small island nations prepare with limited information and economies heavily reliant on tourism.
Episode 16: Corona Royale
In this high stakes second part of Shane’s interview with Dr Stephanie Fletcher-Lartey as she trades Caribbean sunshine for a Sydney lock-down.
Stephanie reflects on the contrast between Australia’s pursuit of zero cases and the lived reality in Western Sydney, where border closures, isolation, misinformation, racial profiling, and personal loss collided.
Episode 17: Dr No.
In the final instalment of this Bond-esque trilogy, EHO Knows follows Dr Stephanie Fletcher-Lartey from a locked-down Sydney to the remote Solomon Islands, where COVID arrives years later with all new challenges.
This episode closes the series with powerful insights on public health, hindsight, and the lessons that must carry forward.
Episode 18: Rooster Gate
In this episode of EHO Knows, Shane is joined by Tanya Morrison to unpack the absurd yet true story of Rooster Gate. What begins as a single noisy rooster crowing at dawn spirals into a decade-long saga of neighbour complaints, environmental health investigations, sound monitoring, lockdown complications, and eventually a landmark court case the first of its kind in New Zealand.