Environmental Health Officer (food)

Kenyon Block Consultants Ltd; North East; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent consultancy is seeking an Environmental Health Officer focused on Food and Health Safety. You will lead inspections of businesses, address food safety issues, enforce regulations, and provide essential support for public health. This role is vital for maintaining safety standards and compliance in the community.

Qualifications

• Experience in inspecting food premises and health safety regulations.
• Ability to manage challenging situations and produce accurate reports.
• Knowledge of public health and environmental safety legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead inspections and regulation of food businesses.
• Provide advice and guidance to ensure compliance with health regulations.
• Conduct investigations into food safety concerns and manage legal actions.

Skills

Customer-focused response

Communication

Legislation interpretation

Education

Degree in Environmental Health or related field

Job description

Job Description: Environmental Health Officer - Food, Health and Safety

Purpose:

To work within a professional environmental health team involved in discharging the Council’s statutory duties and functions related to Food and Health and Safety.

To provide a highly customer-focused response to requests for Environmental Health (Food, Health, and Safety) Services. This includes inspecting and regulating lower risk food premises.

The role involves leading inspections and regulation of low and medium risk food businesses, handling infectious diseases, and addressing public concerns about food safety.

Additionally, the officer will lead in inspecting and regulating higher risk food businesses, managing infectious diseases, and dealing with serious food safety issues from the public.

The role also includes enforcing legislation to protect public and environmental health, providing support, guidance, and advice to the public, industry, and commerce, and promoting a safe, fair trading environment.

Responding promptly to public requests and concerns, maintaining an evidence trail of interventions for review, and communicating effectively to facilitate understanding of food safety and hygiene issues are essential duties.

The officer will provide advice and coaching to food businesses, ensuring they understand and take ownership of their responsibilities to achieve compliance.

Inspections and surveys will be conducted within high-risk businesses and domestic premises to assess standards, secure improvements, and ensure legal compliance, safeguarding public health and safety.

The officer must manage challenging situations objectively, interpret legislation within policy frameworks, and produce accurate advice, guidance, and reports, including warnings and notices.

Legal actions such as serving notices, drafting, and withdrawing orders will be part of the duties, along with understanding risks and implementing appropriate enforcement actions, including emergency procedures.

Investigations will be carried out on service requests, with findings documented and evidence collected, including witness statements and suspect interviews, in accordance with legal requirements and departmental procedures.

The role involves using statutory powers to investigate breaches, non-compliance, and risks, and preparing reports for legal proceedings, including acting as a witness in court.

Sampling programmes will be undertaken following training, understanding their role in consumer protection and compliance assessment, and samples will be handled and transported correctly to laboratories.

Analytical results will be evaluated to enforce standards and safeguard public health, with enforcement actions taken as appropriate.