Health Inspector Career
Considering a Health Inspector Career?
A health inspector career is a great way to give back to the community by helping to keep the public and the environment safe. By using specific training techniques to recognize health violations and using a detailed knowledge of regulations and codes, health inspectors help keep businesses, buildings and institutions safe for everyone.
Regulations on businesses exist to limit health hazards and protect people from dangerous conditions. In order to be sure that businesses are complying with these safety standards, a health inspector is employed to perform checks and note when policies are not being followed. The inspector then may be required to report the violations and begin the proper steps towards correcting the problem. Many different institutions hire health inspectors including on the federal, state and local government levels, as well as private industries.
Based on the agency that a health inspector works under, they may provide a series of specific regulatory tasks. This means that a health inspector must be specifically trained in the regulations and procedures for inspection for various conditions. For example, the type of health inspector most commonly thought of is a food inspector. These health inspectors typically inspect restaurants, schools and other food establishments to check that the correct amount of sanitation is being met. Food health inspectors use their training to recognize improper food handling techniques and search for improper sanitation procedures. This helps prevent food borne illnesses and generally makes sure that customers to food establishments are receiving clean and healthy food items. There are other types of health inspectors that also use specific inspection techniques to make sure other public and private businesses are maintaining proper heath regulations.
Housing inspection is another extremely important type of regulatory control by the government. Housing code health inspectors are vital to helping people avoid living in substandard or dangerous living conditions and ensure that buildings themselves are built soundly. These types of inspectors have special knowledge of housing codes, building regulations and sanitary living condition requirements. Hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities such as children’s day care facilities must also be examined by health inspectors to prevent unsanitary and possibly dangerous health care procedures. This helps to prevent the spreading of communicable diseases and protects the health of both patients and health care workers. Even swimming pools, health spas and tattoo parlors require inspections. Any business or institution that serves food or handles human health needs must follow government issued safety and sanitation requirements and will need a properly trained inspector to make sure all regulations and rules are being met. Health inspectors work to keep the public safe, including the workers who service the public. They also make sure that no harm comes to the environment by enforcing proper recycling and waste removal requirements.
Beginning a health inspector career starts with training. Depending on the type of inspection being performed and the specific institution doing the hiring, the training required to become a health inspector may differ. Some employers may train inspectors on the job for a certain amount of time until they may meet certification requirements, while others may require a college or university bachelor’s degree. Typically government agency health inspectors require at least a college level bachelor’s degree and specialists may require a graduate level degree. Many colleges and universities offer programs in the field of community health, public health and safety and preventative medicine. The salary earned by health inspectors can also vary depending on the type and specialty of the health inspector, but on average a health inspector makes about $40,000 per year. A health inspector career can be a stable source of income as there are always agencies that need qualified inspectors. Becoming a health inspector is a good way to help keep the public and the environment safe.