NOC 21120: Public and environmental health and safety professionals

NOC 21120 is the NOC 2021 unit group for public and environmental health and safety professionals, with job titles such as public safety officer, public health inspector and public safety consultant. It is a TEER 1 occupation in broad category 2, natural and applied sciences and related occupations.

TEER 1Broad category 2NOC 2021

Decode the code

Pick a level to see what each digit means.

21120

Unit group 21120: public and environmental health and safety professionals. This is the code you put on your application.

NOC 21120 job description: public safety officer duties and responsibilities

  • 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

See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 1 jobs.

Is NOC 21120 eligible for Express Entry?

By TEER, yes. TEER 1 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.

Federal program TEER requirements for NOC 21120
ProgramTEER checkWhy
Federal Skilled WorkerTEER qualifiesTEER 1 is within TEER 0 to 3
Canadian Experience ClassTEER qualifiesTEER 1 is within TEER 0 to 3
Federal Skilled TradesNot a listed tradeOnly certain trade groups qualify. Check IRCC
Spouse's open work permitQualifiesAll TEER 1 jobs qualify. SOWP rules

Category-based draws: NOC 21120 is not on any category-based selection list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 1 was skill level A ("NOC A").

Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.

NOC 21120: common questions

What is NOC 21120?

NOC 21120 is the code for public and environmental health and safety professionals in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 2, is the broad category and its second digit, 1, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.

What TEER is NOC 21120?

NOC 21120 is TEER 1. Occupations that usually need a university degree. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 1 lines up with skill level A.

Is NOC 21120 eligible for Express Entry and PR?

By TEER, yes. TEER 1 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.

Is NOC 21120 in a category-based Express Entry draw?

No. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 21120 is not in any category-based selection list (healthcare, STEM, trades, education, transport and others). You can still be invited in general and program-specific draws.

Is NOC 21120 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?

Yes. All TEER 1 jobs qualify, so a worker in this job can support a spouse's open work permit, as long as their own work permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).

What is the NOC code for a public safety officer?

Public safety officer is listed under NOC 21120, public and environmental health and safety professionals. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 21120.

How do I know if NOC 21120 is my NOC code?

Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 21120, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.

Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.