Meat Inspector Trainee - District

Meat Inspector Trainee – District 2 (260003XL)

The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Meat Inspection seeks a Meat Inspector Trainee to protect Ohio’s food supply in District 2. The position is headquartered in Crawford, Richland, or Knox County and requires flexible work hours and travel.

• Receive training and mentoring from a higher level meat inspector to learn procedures and assist in conducting inspections of registered meat plants, private and commercial slaughtering plants, and custom‑exempt red meat and/or poultry processing facilities.
• Perform ante‑mortem and post‑mortem inspections of carcasses and enforce state and federal sanitation, humane slaughter, meat processing, and food‑safety policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Conduct visual examination of live animals and/or poultry prior to slaughter, looking for abnormalities in appearance and behavior such as sickness, injury, or non‑ambulatory status.
• Contact veterinarian for final disposition of unhealthy animals and record results.
• Determine age of beef through dentition for cattle 30 months or older in relation to BSE concerns.
• Perform visual, tactile, and/or incisory inspection of head, lymph nodes, viscera, carcass, and offal to determine whether pathological conditions are present and whether the carcass is clean and wholesome.
• Inspect all equipment, facilities, and personnel to ensure acceptable sanitation levels, prohibiting use of unsanitary, unsafe, or unapproved equipment until cleaned and corrected.
• Halts production for poor sanitation or non‑compliance.
• Ensure proper disposition of unfit and condemned products, enforce sanitary dressing procedures, and control carcass branding.
• Learn labeling requirements and assist in reviewing labeling materials; review proposed labels, product formulations, production procedures, quality control programs, records, and laboratory reports for state‑inspected meat and/or poultry establishments.
• Check formulations of all types of meat food products for compliance with federal regulations and monitor inspection procedures to maintain compliance.
• Learn sampling procedures and assist higher‑level inspector with submission of product samples for microbiological analysis.
• Require meat slaughter plants to conduct microbial testing for generic
  
  E. coli to verify adequacy of process controls.
• Document verification results and navigate the Public Health Information System (PHIS).
• Assist higher‑level inspector with other meat inspection duties as assigned.
• Perform re‑inspection of meat and/or poultry products and non‑meat ingredients intended for further processing or distribution.
• Inspect critical control points in the preparation and handling of meat or poultry products, monitoring formulation, temperature controls, preparation procedures, use of restricted ingredients, and sampling to ensure compliance.
• Prepare, maintain, and monitor required records, reports, and formulations concerning product condemnations and retentions; control all sanitation discrepancies and corrective actions.
• Assist in industry quality control programs.
• Analyze report deviations, travel, and pay reports and submit them through proper channels.
• Attend training courses and refresher seminars, including Incident Command Systems and Inspection System Procedures training.

• One course in animal science, agribusiness, or food business management; OR three months of experience in livestock industry or industrial meat and poultry processing.
• One course in biological sciences or chemistry (high school or college level).
• Must provide own transportation.
• Equivalent of the minimum class qualifications noted above.

• Medical Coverage – Ohio Med PPO plan, dental, vision, and basic life insurance; premiums are free after one year of continuous service.
• Paid time off including vacation, personal, sick leave, 11 paid holidays, and childbirth/adoption leave.
• Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) – employee contributes 10% of salary; employer contributes equal to 14%.
• Ohio Deferred Compensation – voluntary 457(b) retirement plan.
• Maternity benefits – expanded coverage for prenatal, childbirth, postpartum, and…