Career Opportunity

Environmental Health Inspector - Access to City Employment (ACE) (6120)

Recruitment: REF3271M

Published: June 17, 2022

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About:

The Access to City Employment Program (ACE) seeks to hire qualified individuals with a disability into permanent entry-level jobs outside the normal civil service selection process. To be hired through the ACE Program, individuals must meet the minimum qualifications of the job and provide a Certification of Disability from the California Department of Rehabilitation or a Veterans Preference Letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Role description

Definition: Under direction, conducts inspections of housing, industrial plants and. premises, sources of noise emission, fixed and mobile food facilities, and public health and safety hazards in order to enforce established laws, ordinances and regulations pertaining to abatement of violations found; recommends appropriate actions to remedy situations; issues citations; prepares pertinent reports; implements various environmental health programs and services; and performs related duties as required.

Distinguishing Features: This is the professional journey-level environmental health inspector. Employees in this class are expected to use initiative, judgment and resourcefulness in their work, but consultation with a superior is available to resolve more difficult problems. The 6120 Environmental Health Inspector differs from the next higher class, 6122 Senior Environmental Health Inspector, in that the latter may provide supervision, handle more difficult cases, and have specialized countywide program responsibility.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties: According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list. 1. Enforces provisions of the health, housing, planning and air pollution codes, State health and safety, industrial relations, administrative, agricultural and penal codes, State general safety orders, and sanitary aspects of meat plant construction, local ordinances and State laws pertaining to sanitary milk production and noise abatement and other environmental hazards; may be required to specialize in any of these or other activities related to the duties of the class. 2. Investigates complaints involving all buildings; takes necessary action to abate illegal health, sanitary and safety conditions; coordinates efforts with the Department of Public Works, bureaus of building inspection, electrical inspection and plumbing inspection and with the Fire and Police Departments in the enforcement of the building, electrical, plumbing, fire and police codes; appears as witness in court litigation when required and testifies in cases involving food establishments, housing, commercial buildings, hazardous materials and waste management, and other matters. 3. Conducts complaint inspections of dwellings, hotels, apartment houses, business establishments and other multiple dwellings; checks for sanitation, general maintenance of structural and operational features, light, ventilation, use and occupancy, safety and for compliance with applicable codes; detects violations; coordinates efforts with applicable city departments in the enforcement of appropriate codes; makes follow-up inspections to assure ordered corrections have been made; makes recommendations for order of vacation or condemnation of buildings remaining in violation; prepares condemnation reports; appears and testifies at condemnation hearings. 4. Conducts complaint inspections at sites of noise sources to determine the noise source; prepares legal notices of violations of noise ordinance; recommends corrective action to be taken by the violators; prepares cases for argument before the Variance Board. 5. Conducts food and drink establishment inspections; detects violations; orders corrections to effect compliance with established requirements, advises operators, building owners, architects, contractors and others on methods related to alternative design modification and equipping to comply with applicable codes and regulations; processes applicable portions of building permit applications and plans and follows through to insure that requirements are adhered to; advises operators and employees on proper handling procedures and sanitary methods; obtains routine samples of products and submits same for laboratory analyses, examinations and tests; conducts food poisoning investigations; recommends issuance or denial of permits to operate food establishments or suspension or revocation of existing permits if violation is not corrected as ordered; appears and testifies at hearings to enforce compliance; prepares related notices to courts, records and correspondence pertaining to duties performed, observations made, violations found and actions taken. 6. Conducts miscellaneous inspections of facilities, including laundries, dry cleaning establishments, ambulatory homes for the aged, stables, kennels, pet hospitals and pet shops for compliance with pertinent regulations, and recommends issuance or denial of permit to operate; investigates growth of poison oak and other noxious weeds; investigates and adjudicates refuse removal rate disputes between scavenger companies and the public; investigates all complaints regarding the lack of required refuse collection service and/or unlawful disposal of refuse, debris and garbage accumulation on lots, streets, public places, yards; investigates industrial accidents and gives requirements for corrective action if necessary and. investigates cases of death due to poisonous gases; investigates infestations of rodents and other vermin; investigates mosquito complaints; checks applications and plans for construction of swimming pools; issues permits for small water supplies; inspects for cross connections and approves backflow prevention devices. 7. Conducts inspections and complaint investigations of hazardous materials and waste facilities to determine compliance with applicable codes, laws and regulations; conducts field tests and acquires samples for laboratory analysis; travels to and from inspection sites; manages an inspectional district in accordance with program specific standard operating procedures and performance goals; issues citations and orders corrective actions; drafts complaints for the purpose of administering administrative civil penalties; appears and testifies at hearings to enforce compliance; prepares related case documents; reviews plans and applications for the installation, repair/upgrade and/or closure of underground storage tanks; reviews and processes submittals to the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS); prepares technical, specialized reports and program plans by gathering and compiling statistical and other supporting data; performs administrative and clerical environmental health task; and provides information and education to the public, business owners and operators and/or their agents regarding proper hazardous materials and waste management, and medical waste management. 8. Performs other special and miscellaneous duties as required, including sanitation and hazardous materials surveys, domestic water supply sampling, recreational water facilities; reclaimed waste waters; attends meetings and educational conferences, giving talks to groups, conducting tours with students and groups and conducting special emergency investigation of hazards, health and unsanitary conditions.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Requires a broad working knowledge of field inspection techniques and procedures; state laws and city ordinances, health department, rules and regulations pertaining to the field of general sanitation and housing inspection. Requires considerable ability to meet and deal with the general public, as well as with many different food vendors, retailers, food manufacturing representatives, building owners and managers, tenants, and others; obtain effective cooperation and understanding of requirements to improve general public health and sanitary conditions in assigned district.
 

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications: These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification.  Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education: Both specialties: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in engineering, environmental health, mathematics, or the physical, natural or biological sciences.

Experience: Hazardous Materials and Waste Program (HM&WP) specialty: Requires two (2) years of experience in in hazardous materials, hazardous waste, site mitigation and/or medical waste as a technician or inspector in an environmental health agency or related regulatory/service agency, or as a professional consultant in the environmental health industry; One (1) year of experience as an inspector in a Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA)

License and Certification: Consumer Protection Program specialty: Requires possession of a REHS (Registered Environmental Health Specialist) certification issued by the State of California Department of Public Health Services and eligibility to be deputized as a peace officer. Both specialties: Possession of a current, valid California driver’s license.

What else should I know?

Notes: Established: 7/16/1973 Amended: 7/2/2015

Conviction History: As a selected candidate for a job, you will be fingerprinted, and your fingerprints will be sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history (if any) will be used to determine whether the nature of your conviction (or arrest, in limited circumstances) conflicts with the specific duties and responsibilities of the job for which you are a selected candidate. If a conflict exists, you will be asked to present any evidence of rehabilitation that may mitigate the conflict, except when federal or state regulations bar employment in specific circumstances, such as: Candidates for positions with the Unified School District and the Community College District may be disqualified from consideration should their conviction history not meet the standards established under the California Education Code. Candidates for positions with the Recreation and Park Department may be disqualified from consideration should their conviction history not meet the standards established under California Public Resources Code 5164. Having a conviction history does not automatically preclude you from a job with the City. If you are a selected candidate, the hiring department will contact you to schedule a fingerprinting appointment.

Disaster Service Workers: All City and County of San Francisco employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the City requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.