One of the biggest dangers to our health is from bacteria in products of animal origin and other foodstuffs carried by ships arriving in our country. We have port health officers and their teams to thank for the fact that this threat is contained, though problems do arise from time to time. It has been suggested that the foot and mouth epidemic may have started from imported bacteria, for example.

The Port Health Division is part of the food and safety section of environmental services.
It is responsible for protecting the health of the community by maintaining the highest standards of safety of all foodstuffs imported into every port in the UK.

The post can be found in all authorities, except county councils, with ports and harbours under their jurisdiction.

Work Environment

The port health office is the hub of operations, and officers spend a good deal of time on the dockside or aboard ships at anchor. They will also attend meetings at the council’s environmental health headquarters.

The standard working week is 37 hours. There will be a shift rota to cover 0630 – 2200 Monday to Friday and 0630 – 14.30 at weekends and bank holidays in most authorities. Officers usually work 8-hour shifts starting at 0630, 0900 and 1400 hours. Overtime is occasionally necessary, for which an allowance is paid.

This is a job involving extensive outside and ant-social hours working and port health officers are also on the standby rota for emergencies. It is a hazardous environment involving extreme conditions at times. There can be dangerous cargo and potential contact with infectious disease as well as aggressive or violent customers to deal with.

But the officers are well trained and protective clothing and a uniform are provided.

Daily Activities

As well as enforcing legal requirements to achieve standards of food safety, the port health authorities have a general brief to protect the health of the nation by preventing the spread of diseases from other countries in which they are prevalent. This means that on a daily basis they will have to be vigilant about all imports imported into the UK, whether or not there is any suspicion of contamination – inspecting, certifying products which are safe, prosecuting where they are not. This is what the port health officer will do on an ongoing basis: Imported food control

• enforce the law on fishery products
• work with vets at the Border Inspection Posts against illegal importation of animals
• enforce legislation on all foodstuffs that are not of animal origin
• carry out sampling, inspection and certification

Infectious disease control

• monitor and investigate any infections that they have been warned about
• take action and co-ordinate any necessary precautionary measures - cordon off contaminated areas, apply disinfectant and arrange for safe removal of the infected products

Food hygiene

• investigate premises, vessels, lorries and take enforcement action if necessary - samples of meat shown to be contaminated after sampling and so on

Pest control

• inspect ships, warehouses, containers and cargo and issue the appropriate certification - if there are tarantulas among the bananas, bugs in the grain or

Public health

• inspect the environmental conditions on vessels and within port to certify them up to standard, or issue prosecution notices of they are not - live animals kept in cramped and unhygienic conditions etc.
• watching for dangers to environmental health such as pollution from vessels - an oil spillage, dirty cargo holds or living quarters, unacceptable smoke or dangerous engine rooms and so on - and taking legal action

Enforcement

• attend courts of law, public enquiries etc.

Training

• help with courses for trainee EHOs and act as mentors for students seconded to the Port Health team

Emergency planning

• organise rest centres and procedures in the event of an emergency.

But not all the work of port health officers is so dramatic. They have a set of routine duties of inspection and control that is preventative rather than punitive. And they can derive great satisfaction from protecting our health, before calamities occur. Inevitably there is a good deal of paperwork involved, maintaining accurate and up-to-date records and keeping abreast of relevant legislation, council policy and Guidance from Food Standards Agency. In view of the dangers that exist within the dock areas and the activities they have to be involved in (particularly when boarding vessels), the port health officers have to have a detailed knowledge of health and safety procedures. This will mean frequent contact with many organizations impinging on environmental health and reacting to specific information (eg food hazard warnings) and arranging for surveys to be carried out as a result. Among these will be multinational companies, trade organizations, the European Commission, fishery departments and embassies – as well as the UK’s domestic departments involved with environmental protection.

Skills & Interests

To do the job well you would need:

• physical fitness and self reliance
• good computer skills
• good verbal and communication skills
• interviewing, negotiating, listening and decision making skills
• problem solving ability
• ability to deal with aggression
• to be able to present a case with authority and conviction
• ability to cope with stress
• honesty and self confidence
• to be helpful and fair and treat people of many different backgrounds with respect

Also, you would be expected to have knowledge of:

• food and water sampling procedures
• bacteriology
• risk assessment, hazard analysis and statutory nuisance considerations
• pest control methods, including the safe use of pesticides and rodenticides
• the influence of the EU on UK food law
• data protection rules
• Human Rights Act
• health and safety legislation
• other relevant food safety and legislation enactments.

Entry Requirements

It is essential to have a diploma or degree in Environmental Health, certificate of registration of EHORB, certification in relation to meat inspection and a current driving licence. You would also be expected to be a member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and undertake continuing professional development including 10 hours food related training.

Work experience at a major container port and any food/pollution/health and safety post graduate qualifications are desirable.

A six month probationary period will apply.

Estimated salary range

Variable: from £20,433 to £25,473 due to possible differences in job description as given above.

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

There will be an increasing demand for port health officers and environmental protection work, so there is no shortage of opportunities for advancement or sideways moves into related health and safety work. The next step up is to Senior Port Health Officer.

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