Sanitation And Safety Specialist

SANITATION AND SAFETY SPECIALIST -

The headquarters for this position is negotiable within Orange and Osceola County. Contact:
Mike Wickham

Minimum requirements:

A high school diploma or its equivalent and one (1) year of professional work experience; or a bachelor's degree (4 years) or higher from an accredited college or university can substitute for the one (1) year of professional work experience. Requires possession of a valid Class E driver license.

Educational note:
Graduates utilizing education attained in the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position will not be appointed until verification of the applicable degree has been obtained. Foreign trained graduates utilizing a degree attained outside of the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position must be prepared to provide a copy of a credential evaluation conducted by an Approved Credential Evaluation Agency.

Additional requirements:

Employees appointed to positions involved in food establishment inspections under authority of Chapter 500, Florida Statutes, must pass and maintain the training and certification required by Rule 5K-4.021, Florida Administrative Code, within 12 months of appointment. This position has regulatory responsibilities and is subject to the provisions of s.112.313, F.S., and Section 60L – 36.003, Florida Administrative Code. Occasional travel required.

Must reside in required areas as specified in Division Policy A-10. Some tasks will require evening, weekend and/or holiday activity, including overnight and/or extended travel.

Job duties:

Responsible for conducting regulatory inspections of food establishments under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) as set forth in Chapter 500, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 5K-4, Florida Administrative Code, for compliance with regulatory, sanitation and consumer protection requirements. Utilizes a risk-based approach to evaluate processing methods, production controls, equipment design, structural design and maintenance, and personnel practices to assure that foods for human consumption are safe and prepared, packed, distributed and stored under sanitary conditions.

Performs inspections/reviews, as required, for contract or cooperative agreement programs with federal partners including, but not limited to, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Performs opening inspections on food establishments, evaluating and assessing the food processes and activities conducted to determine the requirements for the specific business. Utilizes science based knowledge to determine compliance with environmental and sanitation regulations for processes which may include, but not be limited to, reduced oxygen packaging, low acid food processing, seafood processing, acidified foods, and foods deemed potentially hazardous due to their ability to support rapid growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms, which may occur in food establishments.

Prepares reports to document regulatory deficiencies, interprets and explains significance of public health laws, rules and sanitation and safety standards to food establishment personnel, advising management of the necessary corrective action as part of each inspection. Initiates stop sale orders, stop use orders, destruction reports, release notices, and movement of goods under stop sale orders when indicated by inspection findings.

Assists as needed in other areas of the state. Responsible for other inspection functions including, but not limited to, investigation of consumer complaints; follow up reporting; food-borne illness investigations; information requests from consumers; opening inspections for new businesses; special inspections of fire or flood damaged food establishments; inspection of foods in vehicles involved in accidents; multi-agency investigations/inspections or special projects.

Responds to disaster or emergency situations and operates under incident command structure when required. Periodically handles emergency or request calls. Independently exercises professional judgment and institutes appropriate enforcement actions while discharging responsibilities. Uses effective judgment, knowledge of statutes and rules involved, and awareness of legal implications for compliance with regulations, sanitation, cleanliness, labeling and other food safety regulations and related requirements.

Responsible for inspecting and testing foods for compliance with consumer protection standards. Conducts inspections and reports the results of testing of foods using various test procedures and methods for compliance with consumer protection standards using sampling methods required by each procedure to insure statistically valid findings. Related tasks include, but are not limited to, the review of food labels for misrepresentation and inclusion of mandatory consumer information, evaluation of advertising matter for possible…