Public Health Specialist I, II or III

Job Description

The Public Health Specialist is responsible for planning, performing, or supervising technical and professional work involving consumer protection and public health services. This includes performing inspections, surveys, and investigations to identify and eliminate conditions hazardous to life and health, providing consultative services and assistance in assigned areas of responsibility, ensuring corrective actions are taken to eliminate public health or other hazards, and ensuring compliance with applicable statutes and regulations.

• Counsels and educates the public regarding proper food handling and storage practices.
• Responds to complaints concerning food borne illnesses, adulterated foods, food tampering, recalls, insect or rodent infestation, or other issues related to food establishments or the sale of food and food products.
• Reviews and acts on various epidemiological reports and complaints, including animal bites, rabies, West Nile Virus, and other disease outbreaks.
• Conducts environmental assessments and other surveys related to lodging, public bathing, and barber services.
• Performs inspections for lead contamination and other public health hazards or nuisances.
• Provides emergency response services for complaints concerning food borne illnesses, fires in food establishments, accidents involving the transportation of food, incidents concerning food or water contamination, and power outages or natural disasters involving food products.
• Conducts field tests for chemical sanitizing agents using thermocouples, thermometers, and other evaluative instruments.
• Collects and transports food samples as required to determine adulteration, contamination, sources of pollution, and/or microbiological quality.
• Maintains legal chain of custody to preserve evidentiary requirements.
• Directs the embargo and disposal of food products found unfit for human consumption.
• Conducts evaluations to determine imminent hazards to life or health which warrant the closure of a facility.
• Prepares records, reports, and correspondence concerning regulatory actions as needed.
• Counsels and educates the public regarding proper food handling and storage practices.
• Conducts follow-up inspections and surveys to ensure corrective actions have been taken and that public health hazards are eliminated.
• Testifies at hearings and court proceedings concerning regulatory actions as required.
• Helps with developing and implementing county Emergency Response Plans.
• Helps with county bioterrorism training exercises and serves as a responder in case of terrorist events.

Position Responsibilities/Essential Functions

The functions within this job family will vary by level, but may include the following:

• Conducts inspections, surveys, and investigations of food establishments, lodging facilities, barber shops, public bathing places, schools, day care centers, nursing homes, hospitals, and other regulated facilities to identify public health hazards or environmental conditions which are detrimental to life and health, monitor state food supplies and products, provide training and technical assistance, and ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations;
• Assists in the implementation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems in food establishments and in verifying implementation;
• Responds to complaints concerning food borne illnesses, adulterated foods, food tampering, recalls, insect or rodent infestation, or other issues related to food establishments or the sale of food and food products;
• Reviews and acts on various epidemiological reports and complaints, including animal bites, rabies, West Vile Virus, and other disease outbreaks;
• Conducts environmental assessments and other surveys related to lodging, public bathing, and barber services;
• Performs inspections for lead contamination and other public health hazards or nuisances;
• Provides emergency response services for complaints concerning food borne illnesses, fires in food establishments, accidents involving the transportation of food, incidents concerning food or water contamination, and power outages or natural disasters involving food products;
• Conducts inspections or investigations on an as needed basis including on weekends and at night;
• Conducts field tests for chemical sanitizing agents using thermocouples, thermometers, and other evaluative instruments;
• Collects and transports food samples as required to determine adulteration, contamination, sources of pollution, and/or microbiological quality;
• Maintains legal chain of custody to preserve evidentiary requirements;
• Directs the embargo and disposal of food products found unfit for human consumption;
• Conducts evaluations to determine imminent hazards to life or health which warrant the closure of a facility;
• Prepares records, reports, and correspondence concerning regulatory actions as needed;
• Counsels and educates the public regarding proper food handling and storage practices;
• Conducts follow-up inspections and surveys to ensure corrective actions have been taken and that public health hazards are eliminated;
• Testifies at hearings and court proceedings concerning regulatory actions as required;
• Helps with developing and implementing county Emergency Response Plans;
• Helps with county bioterrorism training exercises and serves as a responder in case of terrorist events.

Minimum Qualifications

• Level I: Bachelor’s degree with at least 30 semester hours in a biological, medical or physical science, food science or technology, chemistry, nutrition, engineering, epidemiology or closely related scientific field.
• Level II: Bachelor’s degree with at least 30 semesters in a biological, medical or physical science, food science or technology, chemistry, nutrition, engineering, epidemiology or closely related scientific field. Plus, one year of professional public health or consumer protection or a master’s degree in a listed field and successful completion of state standardization to conduct food establishment inspections.
• Level III: Education and Experience requirements at this level consist of the statutory requirements of Title 59 O.S. Section 1150.7, (A 2): A bachelor’s degree with a major in public health, environmental health, environmental science, physical science, natural science, biological science, agricultural science, or equivalent, from an accredited college or university with at least thirty (30) semester hours of work in physical, natural and biological science, public health and/or environmental health or environmental protection or both environmental health and environmental protection, plus three years of professional public health or consumer protection and successful completion of state standardization to conduct food establishment inspections; or a master’s degree in a listed field and successful completion of state standardization to conduct food establishment inspections and two years of professional public health or consumer protection.