PHDMC Bureau of General Services Training of Food Inspection Staff Protocols

New Hire Training/ Environmental Health Specialist-in-Training (EHSIT):

All candidates hired for General Services are mandated to be a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) or Environmental Health Specialist-in-Training (EHSIT) eligible, with the State of Ohio Department of Health (ODH) REHS Registration Program. All new hires will start out by “riding along” with most other Bureau of General Services staff. This would entail 15-17 other Specialists taking them to operations in their geographic area and training the new hire on inspection techniques, use of equipment, and introduction to our in-house computerized inspection report system.

For EHSITs, all requisite food codes will initially be their responsibility to learn, while field training, monthly in-house staff meetings and Supervisory availability for questions, reinforces that education. After the 3 or 4 weeks of field training which would also include trips out with other Environmental Health Departments possibly including, but not limited to: Water and sewage, well field protection, Rabies and Nuisance, Plumbing, and possibly the Lead Abatement program; Supervisors would then accompany the new hire/EHSIT, in the field to conduct inspections and evaluate their progress.

Based on the new hire’s experience, progress, confidence, and comfort level along with the Supervisor’s confidence and comfort level in the employee at that time, Supervisors will list inspections to be completed by the new hire that are commensurate with their experience. Once it has been determined by Supervision that the new hire is ready, they are granted oversight of their own area of responsibility.

EHSITs are sent to Principles of Environmental Health when offered by the Ohio Department of Health as well as the Ohio Environmental Health Association’s (OEHA) Environmental Health Specialist in Training test preparation course offered at their annual education meeting. In addition to OEHA test prep, EHSITs meet with Supervision monthly for study and test preparation as needed. One or more Supervisors are available for consultations on a daily basis. PHDMC allows office time for employees to review and revisit food code any time necessary.

Ongoing Staff Training:

All staff is required by the State of Ohio Department of Health to procure 24 hours of continuing education every two years. Commensurate with the percentage of time spent in the food program, roughly 75% or 18 of the 24 hours required over 2 years of continuing education should be in the food arena. Continuing education, both formally (for REHS CEU’s), and informally, is accomplished in a variety of ways; monthly staff meetings can cover a variety of topics, in-house training occurs periodically by outside agencies such as ODH or ODA when requested either in person or via webinars when offered, outside seminars and trainings such as Midwest Workshop, Ohio Environmental Health Association’s Annual and District conferences, Ohio Association for Food Protection meetings, Warren County workshops, as well as ODH/ODA food code update training every couple of years. All staff is granted Administrative leave to attend these continuing education opportunities. Occasionally there is in the field cross training by more experienced peers both inside where staff accompany one another, and from outside the county where another LHD has asked to see a process in our jurisdiction. Journals for review such as the Journal of Environmental Health, are available to staff Supervisors are available on a daily basis for questions or problems and can be reached in person or via phone, e-mail, text, and occasionally face time.