Public Protection Officer

Job description

Job responsibilities

There are legislative pressures on this postholder as they will enforce a range of legal powers and duties for the council. In addition they will be subject to work demand and time pressures both from internal management and external timescales set by businesses and central government.

To carry out a full range of environmental health, trading standards and animal health duties as may be required, both within the specific responsibilities of the team, and also from time to time across the wider public protection service.

To be responsible for the day to day delivery of a range of statutory and non-statutory environmental health, trading standards and animal health, animal licensing duties. This role covers a range of statutory functions, these range from food safety, statutory health and safety functions, environmental protection, trading standards and animal health, and emergency planning functions.

To be the departments designated specialist in a specific area of law

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

Enforcing a range of legal powers and duties (in relation to animal health and welfare this will include inspections and sampling of feed businesses)

To conduct inspections of a specified range of premises especially to premises with high and medium risk rating to ensure compliance with environmental health, trading standards or animal health legislation

To respond to complaints and enquiries by investigation or advice as necessary. To use professional judgement to determine and implement consequent enforcement action. This can include carrying out monitoring, intelligence gathering, inspections etc outside of office hours, often at weekends, at night or early in the morning.

The post holder provides professional opinion in the field and makes decisions, frequently remote from the office without reference to anyone else or direct colleague support.

There is wide discretion and empowerment of all officers. In responsive work there is no precedent and the post holder has to use discretion in choice of legislation and professional expertise to make a judgement of the most appropriate course of action.

All initial decisions regarding enforcement are made by the post holder. Whether or not a matter can be dealt with by an informal discussion or requires a formal approach up to and including recommending prosecution is a matter for the judgement of the post holder.

Conduct criminal investigations (resulting from complaints, inspections and officer initiative) to recommend action necessary from service of notices, cautions to assist with organisation of works in default and preparing files for prosecution. To attend court as a witness. Serving formal enforcement notices.

Ensure that Wiltshire based businesses, including national companies, comply with Public Protection legislation by offering legal advice and where necessary act as a point of reference for other UK enforcement agencies. This can include advice to animal feed business operators

Mentor professional trainees studying for their professional qualifications and to participate in their training including responsibility for their health and safety

Contribute to and participate in the review and implementation of project work, surveys and sampling programmes.

To maintain accurate records of actions on manual and computer systems. To ensure notebook records are contemporaneous and admissible as evidence under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE)

To provide education and training by facilitating and lecturing on courses and seminars, organising and providing subject specific training for particular groups. Identify opportunities for promoting the service and representing the department. This includes food hygiene training, training on animal health courses, training to new keepers and sessions to the general public on product safety

To attend meetings of outside bodies and represent the council as necessary in matters relating to the post holders caseload and expertise. Attend regional meetings relating to specialty, meetings with farmers, markets, food premises

Contribute to the planning, implementation and review of operational policies and priorities.

Provide cascade training to staff, at all levels within the service, on new legislation following attendance at National/Regional courses and seminars

Specific requirements for this post:

A significant proportion of the work done by the post holder may be carried out away from the office and frequently outside of normal office hours and in all weathers

Having to access difficult locations during course of investigations e.g. attic spaces, climb through undergrowth, over fences or working on foot, including rough terrain

Also manual handling in terms of lifting manhole covers during drainage investigations; working at height i.e. climbing ladders to inspect silos, handling of animals at market to check for lameness and reading of ear tags

The premises visited can range from domestic properties to busy restaurants, to muddy fields, farms, construction sites and filthy and verminous premises and are likely to involve significant exposure to environmental pollutants that may require PPE to be worn,

Providing the council's out of hours standby response to public protection emergencies and out of hours investigations - taking all necessary decisions, including legal action and revenue expenditure, as sole responsible person - the council's point of contact for emergency planning issues (Local Authority Incident Officer)

To complete a minimum of 10 hours continuing professional development training in the relevant field per year.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Specific professional/technical skills/ experience gained from BSc (Hons) or MSc in Environmental Health, Food, Health and Safety or Animal Science related subject or full Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS), or Diploma equivalent to NVQ level 5/6.
• DCA Certificate in Competence in Animal Health and Welfare and/or agriculture or HigherFood Certificate.
• Compliance with Section 18 guidance for health and safety.
• Section 40 of the Food Safety Act 1990 requires Food Authorities to comply with the Food Code of Practice in relation to authorised suitably qualified officers and defines the relevant suitable qualifications.
• EHORB registration for food and health and safety work
• Some post qualification experience in the related field of work.
• High level of knowledge and ability to interpret the complexities of relevant public protection legislation.
• Good diplomacy skills - being able to deal with difficult people and diffuse difficult situations

Desirable

• Relevant professional membership/registration

Employer details

Employer name

Wiltshire Council

Address

County Hall

Bythesea Rd

Trowbridge

Wiltshire

BA14 8JN

Employer's website

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)