Job Description

Public Health Inspector

The City of Danbury is announcing an Open Competitive Exam for the position of Public Health Inspector. 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. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties. 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. The employee is not required to regularly supervise any City employees. Employee provides direction and guidance to the part-time interpreter who works for the Fair Rent Commission. The employee has regular access to confidential information such as medical, financial, department and client records. Numerous 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. 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. Working conditions involve regular exposure to outdoor weather conditions as well as intermittent machine or related noise or a combination of 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 when conducting field inspections. Employee may occasionally be required to work at heights or in confined or cramped quarters, or work around machinery and its moving parts. The employee is required to work beyond normal business hours in response to planned or natural emergency situations and to attend evening meetings. Relationships are primarily with co-workers and the public involving frequent explanation, discussion or interpretation of practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines in order to render service, plan or coordinate work efforts, or resolve operating problems. Other regular contacts are with service recipients and employees of outside organizations such as representatives of outside agencies, property owners, developers and/or contractors. Extraordinary courtesy, tact and diplomacy may be required to resolve complaints or deal with uncooperative persons. The nature of work increases the probability that errors could be serious. Consequences of errors, missed deadlines or poor judgment include significant monetary losses, waste of material, legal repercussions, and/or personal injury when exposed to communicable diseases or other hazardous conditions and/or materials. Essential functions present on a regular basis potential risk of personal injury which could result in loss of time from work when inspecting food establishments, environmental and housing condition investigations in the field if proper safety precautions and protocols are not followed. Special safety precautions, training, or protective clothing such as gowns, coats, gloves, hard hats, glasses, or safety boots may be required.

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Prepare documentation related to environmental programs and/or orders for remediation of non-compliance.
• Conducts 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.
• Investigate 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.
• Required to give expert testimony on behalf of the City's enforcement actions.
• Friendly, courteous and responsive service to the residents and constituents of the City of Danbury.
• 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.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Minimum Qualifications: Education and Experience: Must possess a Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Environmental Health Science, or a related field; OR a Bachelor's degree in any field plus two to five (2-5) years of public health service experience in a state or local health department. Special Requirements: Valid Class II Motor Vehicle Driver's License required. Within 2 years of employment, must obtain of State Department of Public Health Food Service Certification. Within 2 years of employment, must obtain of 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 Knowledge, Abilities and Skills Required: Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of state regulations, statutes and all other laws, pertaining to public health regulated activities and facilities. Knowledge of local, state and federal housing laws, regulations and procedures. Ability: Ability to meet and deal with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to effectively handle problems in the field and during emergencies; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with state regulatory agencies and the disgruntled members of the public. Ability to manage multiple tasks in a detailed and organized manner. Ability to enforce laws and regulations in an impartial and consistent manner. Skill: Proficient oral and written communication skills.

Physical and Mental Requirements The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position's essential functions.

Physical Skills: Work requires some agility and physical strength, such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain when conducting field inspections, or standing or walking for most of the work period. Occasionally, work may require lifting objects and carrying them. There also may be a need for the employee to stretch and reach in order to retrieve materials.

Motor Skills: Duties may involve assignments requiring the application of hand and eye coordination with finger dexterity and motor coordination in order to operate a motor vehicle and conduct field inspections.

Visual Skills: The employee is constantly required to read and interpret documents and reports for understanding and analytical purposes. Employee is constantly required to determine color differences.

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