Public Health Inspector

Statement of Duties

Employee is responsible for the performance of technical and inspectional work to promote and protect the public health through the review, inspection, and enforcement of State and local public health laws and regulations as well as providing public health education.

Supervision Required

Under the general supervision of the Health and Human Services Director and/or his/her designee, the employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently with specific instruction. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee is expected to recognize instances which are out of the ordinary and which do not fall within existing instructions; in such cases, the employee is expected to seek advice and further instructions. Reviews and checks of the employee’s work are applied to an extent sufficient to keep the supervisor aware of progress, and to insure that completed work and methods used are technically accurate and that instructions are being followed.

Confidentiality

The employee has regular access to confidential information such as medical, financial, department and client records.

Judgment

Multiple standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and in some cases, may require additional interpretation. Judgment is needed to locate, select and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation or guideline.

Complexity

The work consists of a variety of duties which generally follow standardized practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines. The sequence of work and/or the procedures followed vary according to the nature of the transaction and/or the information involved, or sought, in a particular situation.

Work Environment

• Regular exposure to outdoor weather conditions as well as intermittent machine or related noise
• Intermittent exposure to unpleasant elements such as confined spaces/high places, biohazards, radiation, odors, chemical fumes, dust, smoke, heat, cold, oil, bio hazards, traffic, electricity, loud noises, dirt or grease
• Working beyond normal business hours in response to planned or natural emergency situations
• Occasional work at heights or in confined or cramped quarters, or work around machinery and its moving parts

Essential Functions

• Prepare documentation related to environmental programs and/or orders for remediation of non-compliance.
• Congducts field inspections to investigate complaints and/or compliance issues to determine if there are violations of regulatory standards.
• Participates in public health education programs in the community as required.
• Inspects housing, food service establishments, salons, daycares, pools, enforces ordinances, rules and regulations governing sanitary conditions of such establishments and enforces ordinances and state laws in environmental health.
• Performs water sampling of pools, wells, rivers, lakes, etc. for environmental surveys as required.
• Investigates environmental complaints, such as garbage and rubbish disposal, rodent and insect infestation, air and water quality, disease vectors, mosquito control, housing concerns and unsanitary environmental conditions.
• Prepares inspection/investigation reports, confers with supervisor regarding deficiencies and the measures necessary to correct them, and performs follow-up inspections to ensure conditions have been remedied.
• Performs plan reviews, observes and/or performs soil testing and conducts inspections of sewage disposal systems under the supervision of a Registered Sanitarian.
• Prepares documents in support of public health hearings and department enforcement actions, hearings, or legal actions.
• Performs expert testimony on behalf of the City’s enforcement actions.
• Maintains knowledge and expertise in relevant areas of public health and environmental issues in order to maintain required licenses and certifications and changes in pertinent public health laws and regulations as well as enforcement practices.
• Prepares reports for Supervisor as requested.
• Participates in public health programming as required.
• Responds to emergencies as directed.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Must possess a Bachelor’s degree.
• Experience in environmental health fieldwork, college coursework in public health, or a closely related field is preferred.
• Special Requirements: Valid Class II Motor Vehicle Driver’s License required. Within 2 years of employment, must obtain State Department of Public Health Food Service Certification. Within 2 years of employment, must obtain State Department of Public Health Phase I & II Sub-Surface Sewage Disposal Certification. Within 1 year of employment, must obtain Lead Inspector/Lead Risk Assessor Certification. Within 1 year of employment, must obtain Pool Inspector Certification.