Meat Inspector Trainee - District 3

Responsibilities

• Receives training and mentoring from higher level meat inspector to learn procedures and assists in conducting inspections of registered meat plants, private, commercial slaughtering plants and custom- exempt red meat and/or poultry processing facilities.
• Learns to perform ante mortem and postmortem inspections of carcasses and enforces state and federal sanitation, humane slaughter, meat processing and food safety policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Conducts visual examination of live animal and/or poultry prior to slaughter while looking for abnormalities in appearance and behavior such as sick, hurt and/or non-ambulatory.
• Contacts veterinarian for final disposition of unhealthy animals and records results.
• Makes determination of age of beef through dentition of cattle 30 months or older for removal of backbone due to concerns of BSE.
• Performs visual, tactile and/or incisory inspection of head, lymph nodes, viscera, carcass and offal to include liver, heart, brain and tripe to determine whether or not pathological conditions are present, and carcass is in clean and wholesome condition.
• Inspects all equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure acceptable sanitation levels and prohibiting use of unsanitary, unsafe and/or unapproved equipment and facilities until cleaned and/or corrected to include pest and rodent control, use of pesticides and chemicals, condition and use of potable water supply and waste and sewage systems.
• Halts production for poor sanitation and/or non-compliance.
• Affirms proper disposition of unfit and condemned products, enforces sanitary dressing procedures and controls carcass branding.
• Leads labeling requirements and assists in reviewing labeling materials.
• Reviews proposed labels, product formulations, production procedures, quality control programs, quality control records and laboratory reports for state inspected meat and/or poultry establishments.
• Leads sampling procedures and assists higher level inspector with submission of product samples of products for analysis for microbiological adulterants and for consumer protection.
• Requires meat slaughter plants to conduct microbial testing for generic E.coli to verify adequacy of process controls for prevention of fecal contamination.
• Leads how to document verification results and navigate in the Public Health Information System (PHIS).
• Affords assistance to higher level inspector with other meat inspection duties as assigned.
• Performs re-inspection of meat and/or poultry products and non-meat ingredients for such products intended for further processing or distribution.
• Inspects critical control points in preparation and handling of meat or poultry products (i.e., monitors formulation, temperature controls, preparation procedures, use of restricted ingredients and sampling).
• Prepares, maintains and monitors required records, reports and formulations concerning product condemnations and retentions.
• Controls all sanitation discrepancies and corrective actions.
• Affords assistance in industry quality control programs.
• Analyzes report deviations, travel and pay reports and submits such through proper channels.
• Attends training courses (e.g., Incidence Command Systems training courses; Inspection System Procedures including Homeland Security) Refresher seminars and on-job training activities.

Requirements

• Must be able to provide own transportation.

Job Skills

• Agriculture
• Communications
• Public Health
• Food Safety Inspection
• Animal Health

Technical Skills

• Agriculture
• Agribusiness
• Food Business Management
• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry

Agency Overview

The Ohio Department of Agriculture protects all Ohioans by safeguarding plants and animals, conserving our natural resources and supporting farmers. ODA is cabinet-level agency reporting to Governor DeWine. Food and agriculture are Ohio’s number one industry, contributing $124 billion to the economy and employing one in eight people. ODA’s beautiful campus is located in Reynoldsburg on 158-acres. Not only is parking free, but food trucks frequent the campus for coffee and lunch. You’ll find great coworkers here, who are experts in their field and care about the work they do.

What We Do

Working for the Ohio Department of Agriculture means strengthening our state with the help of our 19 divisions programs. Our staff ensures the products you consume every day are safe to eat and drink. We protect Ohio’s farmland, improve soil health and water quality, all while keeping our plants, crops, and animals free of pests and disease. We are home to the state’s top food safety laboratory and serve as the hub for a statewide lab safety system. Our folks protect consumers by ensuring you get what you pay for through weights and measures accuracy standards. ODA oversees Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs, the showcases of our towns and cities, and protects fair goers by inspecting the amusement rides you love to enjoy!

Who We Are

Not only does Ohio rank number one in Swiss cheese production, but we are top three in the nation’s egg production and fifth in soybean production. Ohio’s farmers impact those well beyond state lines, feeding families across the nation. ODA’s beautiful campus is located in Reynoldsburg on 158-acres. Not only is parking free, but food trucks frequent the campus for coffee and lunch. You’ll find great coworkers here, who are experts in their field and care about the work they do.

Compensation

Competitive Salary: $49,192 - $59,821 annually