FOOD & DAIRY INSPECTOR - #1690461

Location: Shelby County
Last Day to Apply: Apr 22 , 2024
Business Unit: Regulatory Compliance
Job Family: Agriculture
Job Opening ID: 57032

Job Information

LOCATION OF (2) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CONSUMER AND INDUSTRY SERVICES DIVISION, SHELBY COUNTY

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree.

Substitution of Experience for Education: Qualifying experience in the planning of nutritional food programs for individuals or establishments, or any experience involved with adherence to proper hygiene or sanitation of food, dairy, water, or related environmental health issues, including, but not limited to, (1) the inspection of agricultural or industrial establishments, commodities, or equipment; (2) the training of retail staff who prepare food; (3) the proper storage and processing of food, dairy, or water commodities or (4) dairy farm work, may substitute for the required education on a year for year basis to a maximum of four years (e.g., experience equivalent to one year of full time work in one or a combination of the above listed fields may substitute for one year of the required education).

Necessary Special Qualifications: None

Examination Method: Education and Experience, 100%, for Preferred Service positions.

Summary

Summary: Under immediate supervision, learns to perform technical inspection and enforcement work of average difficulty involving food and dairy manufacturing, processing, and marketing laws and regulations; and performs related work as required.

Distinguishing Features: This is the entry level class for the Food and Dairy Inspector series. An employee in this class learns to enforce compliance with state and federal laws and regulations at food and dairy manufacturing, processing, wholesale, and retail establishments within a fixed geographic area of the state. This class differs from Food and Dairy Inspector 2* in that an incumbent of the latter performs duties at the working level under general supervision.

• An applicant appointed to this flexibly staffed class will be reclassified to the next higher class in the series after a successful completion of a mandatory two-year training period; inadequate or marginal performance during the training period will result in automatic demotion or termination.

Responsibilities

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material:

• Learns to conduct visual inspection of equipment such as meat saws/grinders, milking equipment, and mixers located within establishments to determine condition (e.g., cleanliness, proper materials, good repair) and appropriate design.

• Learns to conduct visual inspection of structures such as dairy barns, warehouses, and retail stores to determine condition (e.g., good repair, cleanliness, pest resistance).

• Learns to conduct visual inspection of food materials such as pipes, ingredients and packaging to verify materials are approved food grade.

Getting Information:

• Learns to gather information regarding the conditions of establishment (e.g., sanitation, food handling practices, hygienic practices) for the purpose of determining compliance with all applicable Tennessee laws and regulations.

• Learns to collect samples of food, dairy and water for laboratory analysis by using appropriate collection methods (e.g., retail procurement, fluid mild sample from farm bulk tank, water samples).

• Learns to collect exhibits such as photographs, insects, and evidence of rodents to document specific conditions.

• Gathers information about establishments used in the manufacture, sale and distribution of food and/or dairy (e.g., name, address, type, ownership) to update the information and verify permit is current.

• Learns to review last inspection of establishment to ensure facility has kept a copy of this inspection and had made corrections.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems:

• Learns to determine the appropriate regulatory action to take based on inspection findings as determined by rules and regulations.

• Learns to investigate potential health risks caused by disasters such as floods, fires, and food transport accidents to determine necessary action (e.g., seizure, condemnation, destruction of product).

• Learns to determine the severity of violation by reviewing current and past inspection information and comparing to rules, regulations, and laws.

• Learns to make recommendations to establishments to help them resolve violations and become compliant.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work:

• Learns to maintain assigned area with inspectional frequency as mandated by regulation or as required by office policy.

• Learns to prioritize inspections based on risk factors such as complaints, type and health hazard.

• Learns to organize weekly workload by determining most efficient work plan based on number of inspections, locations, length of inspection time, history, facility types, and etc.

• Learns to complete daily time summary and projected itinerary for submittal to supervisor.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others:

• Learns to explain rules and regulations to the customer during consultation/inspection to increase compliance understanding.

• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:

• Learns to compare inspection data to State laws and regulations to determine compliance and appropriate action to be taken such as notice of violation, critical item notice, removed from sale, or permit suspension.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships:

• Learns to develop and maintain positive relationships with industry by interacting in a professional, customer-friendly manner through repetitive contact.

• Learns to establish and maintain effective working relationships with peers and management by fostering cooperation, sharing of ideas, and open/honest communication.

Training and Teaching Others:

• Learns to train individuals such as industry, milk haulers, co-workers.

• Documenting/Recording Information:

• Learns to fill out inspectional forms using check sheets, Scantrons, and written narrative to document findings or activities.

• Enters time and labor or expense information electronically to document weekly schedule and work-related travel.

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Participates in performance evaluation discussions with supervisor to understand performance expectations and method by which set goals are achieved.

• Communicates with other inspectors to schedule and conduct joint inspection activities.

• Submits weekly work documents by mail to verify work completed.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge:

• Continuously maintains inspection manual by adding updated information such as memos, trade publications, and technical journals provided by supervisor and/or administration.

• Attends area and statewide meetings with supervisors/administrators to discuss current trends, new administrative policies, legislation and other relevant topics.

Performing General Physical Activities:

• Performs physical activities such as walking for extended periods of time, climbing ladders, lifting 50-100 pounds, bending and stooping while conducting on-site inspections.

Competencies

Competencies:

• Problem Solving

• Technical Learning

• Planning

• Time Management

• Presentation Skills

• Approachability

• Composure

• Customer Focus

• Ethics and Values

• Integrity and Trust

Knowledge:

• Building and Construction

• Clerical

• Customer and Personal Service

• Design

• Food Production

• Mathematics

• Production and Processing

Skills:

• Active Learning

• Active

• Critical Thinking

• Mathematics

• Reading Comprehension

• Speaking

• Writing

• Coordination

• Instructing

• Persuasion

• Service Orientation

• Social Perceptiveness

• Judgment and Decision Making

• Time Management

Abilities:

• Category Flexibility

• Deductive Reasoning

• Inductive Reasoning

• Oral Comprehension

• Oral Expression

• Memorization

• Problem Sensitivity

• Selective Attention

• Spatial Orientation

• Time Sharing

• Visualization

• Written Comprehension

• Written Expression

• Reaction Time

• Extent Flexibility

• Gross Body Coordination

• Gross Body Equilibrium

• Stamina

• Static Strength

• Auditory Attention

• Depth Perception

• Far Vision

• Near Vision

• Peripheral Vision

• Sound Localization

• Speech Clarity

• Speech Recognition

TN Driver Standards

State of Tennessee positions that may involve driving responsibilities require candidates to meet the following minimum driver qualifications:

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, the candidate's driver record must not have record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application.

**Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.