Work environments are the conditions, forces, or influences within the workplace, which affects the quality of worker performance, health and safety, and productivity. As the primary healthcare provider in the workplace, the occupational and environmental health nurse (OHN) must be able to recognize and identify factors that affect the work environment and understand that the environment can also be the primary deterrent in establishing, promoting and maintaining worker health and safety. It is essential that the OHN be knowledgeable about changes and trends and their potential effects on the workforce and workplace environment in designing and implementing cost effective and high quality occupational and environmental health and safety programs.

Whether the work environment is a virtual office or a traditional work setting, the OHNs develop and provide a wide variety of occupational health and safety programs and services that are unique to the size of the company; number and health characteristics of the workforce; types of processes, service or industry; and potential health and safety hazards. Issues significant to the occupational environment includes, but are not limited to, health surveillance; worker fitness; musculoskeletal disorders; OSHA regulations; workplace design; workforce (age, ethnicity, sex, disability); workplace exposures (hazards, chemicals, carcinogens, etc.); workplace violence; incident analysis and etc.