REGISTERED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSPECTOR TRAINEE
DEFINITION:
Under direction of a higher level Registered Environmental Health Inspector or other supervisory official in a state department, institution, or agency, as trainee and productive worker, conducts environmental health inspections concerned with the enforcement of relevant public health laws and codes; does other related duties.
NOTE: The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
EXAMPLES OF WORK:
Learns to conduct surveys and investigations of communicable disease outbreaks and epidemics which may be traceable to toxic substances, environmental sanitation, food, milk, water, and so forth.
Learns to conduct sanitary inspections of low acid food processing plants and canning factories.
Learns to conduct sanitary inspections of pickling and fermentation process.
Learns to plan and conduct demonstrations of current and appropriate methods for controlling insects and rodents.
Learns to conduct inspections and evaluations of individual, community, and non-community water supply systems such as wells, springs, and so forth.
Learns to conduct sanitary inspections of depuration plant processes and other shellfish establishments.
Learns to conduct sanitary inspections, investigations, and evaluations of food plant, hospital and other institutional water treatment operations.
Learns to conduct inspections and evaluations of hospitals, nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, and other health care facilities.
Learns to conduct regulated medical waste compliance inspections.
Learns to conduct inspections of lead and asbestos abatement sites for compliance with state and federal regulations.
Learns to conduct inspections of wholesale food manufacturing plants, nonalcoholic beverage and water bottling plants, bakeries, food warehouses, cosmetic plants, and so forth.
Learns to utilize sophisticated instrumentation in the survey and inspection process.
Learns to conduct inspections of individual sewage disposal systems such as septic tanks, package treatment plants, and so forth.
Learns to conduct inspections in facilities, communities, institutions, and/or places of business to evaluate compliance with existing sanitation standards and regulations.
May assist in providing consultation on varied aspects of environmental sanitation to enable the facility to comply with existing sanitation standards.
Prepares technical reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Establishes and maintains records and files.
Learns to conduct inspections of dairies, milk pasteurization and processing plants, and frozen dessert establishments.
Learns to conduct investigations, evaluations, and inspections involving institutional sanitation such as correctional facilities and mental retardation centers.
Learns to conduct inspections and evaluations of retail food establishments, child care centers, colleges and universities, and so forth.
Learns to conduct sanitary inspections, evaluations, and investigations of varied private, business, government, and institutional facilities.
May assist in providing health education in food supply, food handling, food sanitation, and prevention of food-borne illness, housekeeping, and infection control.
May assist in the conduct of technical surveys and in monitoring varied health and sanitation areas and programs.
Learns to conduct epidemiological investigations of food, water, or medication-borne outbreaks of nosocomial infections above baseline, infections disease control, ectoparasites, enteric parasites, skin rashes, and other clusters of conditions in which environmental causes must be precluded.
Learns to conduct a broad program of sanitary inspection and control of water supplies, insect and rodent pests, sewage disposal, stream pollution, and milk, food and drug control.
Learns to participate in team inspections for preaccreditation of facility, and other periodic inspections and investigations.
Provides assistance in auditing county health care facilities.
Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
REQUIREMENTS:
NOTE: Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience.
Four (4) years of professional experience in environmental sanitation work in the field of public health, including or supplemented by thirty-two (32) semester hour credits (undergraduate or graduate) in the biological sciences, physical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics, or any combination thereof.
OR
Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by thirty-two (32) semester hour credits (undergraduate or graduate) in the biological sciences, physical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics, or any combination thereof.
NOTE: "Professional experience" refers to work that is analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range of basic knowledge of the profession's concepts and practices; and is performed with the authority to act and make accurate and informed decisions.
LICENSE:
Applicants must possess a license as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist issued by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.
Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of communicable diseases, epidemiology; causative organisms, channels and reservoirs of infection, vehicles of infection, microbiology and bacteriology, and toxicology.
Knowledge of chemical transformations of organic substances, and the action of enzymes on yeasts, molds, and fungi, moisture, and acidity and salt contents of foods.
Knowledge of entomology, the classes, anatomy, physiology, and morphology of insects, diseases transmitted by insects/rodents, the chemical, biological, and physical control of insects/rodents; the chemistry of pesticides; the mathematical sciences necessary for measuring insecticide concentrations; and the impact of insects and rodents on public health.
Knowledge of the physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water; biological and chemical contaminants and impurities, methods of bacteriological examination of water, methods of protecting water supplies, chlorine residuals, topography, and soil structures.
Knowledge of environmental microbiology, sterilization, and autoclaving techniques, bacteriology, epidemiology, biocontaminants, communicable disease control, nosocomial infections, germicides, cleaning chemistry, and disposal of hazardous wastes.
Knowledge of biological, biochemical, and physicochemical aspects of food safety.
Knowledge of principles and elements of sewage and wastewater treatment disposal, biological and chemical contamination effects on soils and water, bacteriology of excreta and sewage, soil characteristics, aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria, chemical decomposition, and spread of enteric disease.
Knowledge of waterborne organisms related to disease dissemination.
Knowledge of milkborne diseases.
Knowledge of principles of entomology, bacteriology, microbiology, chemistry, sewage disposal, communicable diseases, and other general sanitation procedures and endemic institutional illnesses.
Knowledge of principles of food and milk sanitation.
Ability to learn to conduct technical surveys and to monitor varied health and sanitary areas and programs.
Ability to learn to utilize sophisticated instrumentation in the survey and inspection process.
Ability to read, interpret, and apply laws and codes of NJ relating to environmental sanitation, sanitary inspections, and accreditation standards.
Ability to learn to conduct inspections and investigations.
Ability to collect chemical and microbiological samples and interpret results.
Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Ability to prepare correspondence.
Ability to establish and maintain records and files.
Ability to learn state and federal regulations regarding the proper disposal of regulated medical waste.
Ability to learn state and federal regulations pertaining to lead and asbestos abatement.
Ability to learn current technologies regarding the mitigation and control of lead and asbestos hazards.
Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
ADVANCEMENT
Appointees who successfully compete the twelve-month training period will be eligible for advancement to the title for which they are being trained.
The inability of an employee in this title to attain a level of performance warranting advancement to a title listed above shall be considered as cause for separation.
This job specification is applicable to the following title code:
