We are looking for an Environmental Protection Officer (Public Health Nuisance) to join our north esat England local authority client on a contract basis
Role & Purpose of Job:
To work within a specialist professional team involved in discharging the City Council’s statutory functions and commitments in relation to Environmental Protection, including the regulating of industrial processes (under LAPC), monitoring, maintaining and seeking to improve air quality, the assessment and remediation of contaminated land, preventing statutory nuisances and commenting on planning and licensing applications.
This post is specifically involved in dealing with incidents of statutory nuisance, the service provides a reactive service to members of the public, and also responds to referrals from the Anti-social Behaviour Team.
This results in the provision of highly interactive client focused responses to requests for services with the overall purpose of dispute resolution. The role involves dealing with emotive and sensitive issues relating to the behaviour of individuals, and how they manage their activities, property and/ or business. The effect of statutory nuisance can be very distressing to those experiencing it. High numbers of service requests are raised by people who live in close proximity to the perpetrator of the offence, which creates a very challenging situation to manage.
To provide specialist technical advice as necessary on all aspects relating to statutory nuisances.
Principal Accountabilities:
Customer Focus
To proactively inspect neighbourhoods to identify environmental nuisance problems and determine the best way to resolve these problems.
To advise, liaise, attend, organise and chair meetings as necessary with various other internal Departments such as Social Services, the Anti-Social Behaviour team, the Housing Department, Legal Services Department, etc, external agencies, such as the Police, the Fire brigade and Mental Health teams,, private companies, consultants and private individuals, including landlords in matters of mutual concern such as when dealing with filthy / verminous premises or noise nuisance, to contribute to discussions relating to victim support and to discuss breaches of legislation with a view to finding solutions to difficult and often sensitive issues.
To carry out mental capacity assessments of occupiers in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 ensuring that occupiers have capacity to understand the implications before any informal or formal action is taken by the department.
Where necessary, following this assessment to be able to liaise with different parts of the Council in order to manage issues. To be able to identify frailty, vulnerability, and safeguarding issues as part of the investigation processes.
To work on a frequent basis with persons who can display aggressive, challenging or emotionally demanding behaviour and to deal with this calmly, rationally and assertively in line with Council policies/procedures. Where necessary to establish practical solutions and potentially negotiate informal solutions to avoid the need for enforcement action.
Performance Management
To train, guide and support trainee professional staff, less experienced colleagues, Technical Officers and to contribute to their professional development.
The ability to accurately input, update, maintain, amend, retrieve and manipulate manual and electronic records and information from systems to produce accurate records for enforcement and regulatory activities and for statistical information to achieve the section’s performance targets.
To achieve the objectives and targets of the Service Delivery Plan by working effectively as a member of the team and to produce timely and accurate correspondence, records, files and data, including the use of IT.
To supervise contractors when they are carrying out works to comply with legal notices served by us, such as clearance of filthy / verminous premises, ensuring that all work is completed in a safe and timely manner and in accordance with the specification of the notice.
To work effectively with all team members within a performance framework, to enable progress on the projects and meet all aims and objectives. To deliver specialist support, advice and guidance to new and subordinate officers and represent the Service at case conferences, multi-agency meetings, forums so as to ensure effective operational joint working and to provide customers with speedy and appropriate solutions.
To manage investigations and caseloads within an environment of conflicting priorities, professional and political demands, meeting the timescales and deadlines required by the service and / or statutory requirements.
To undertake the appropriate risk assessments of situations / scenarios in order to appropriately manage potential risk to persons.
Statutory Obligations
To investigate complaints about noise, vibration, smoke, odour and other statutory nuisances from industrial, commercial and domestic premises using a range of methods including officer visits and assessment of recordings on specialist instruments such as noise recording equipment, sound level meters and light meters to be able to evaluate the results and make decisions to take either informal remedial or formal enforcement action based on the results in accordance with the Section’s enforcement policy where decisions are subjective using a range of tools and enforcement powers.
To provide technical reports as part of prosecution evidence on the results of the specialist equipment mentioned above.
To interpret new and existing legislation and use professional judgement to determine appropriate course of enforcement action when non-compliance with legislation, or risks to public health have been identified.
to include the provision of advice and guidance, formal warnings, legal notices, fixed penalties, execution of Warrants, seizure of evidence and property and vehicles and contents in accordance with statutory powers and formal cautions, a combination of which may be used and presented as evidence to be utilised in legal proceedings.
To determine appropriate courses of action when non-compliance with legislation concerning statutory nuisances and the control of emissions into the environment are identified. Actions will range from informal action, the drafting, signing and service of formal notices to carrying out work in default in circumstances when the owners have failed to comply with requirements.
To be responsible for and have the discretion to initiate investigations to detect and rectify serious breaches of various pieces of legislation including the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Control of Pollution Act 1974, Public Health Acts 1936, the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Acts 1976 and 1984 and the Clean Air Act 1993.
To interview witnesses, take statements, collect, prepare and collate evidence correctly, thoroughly, professionally and in accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and departmental procedures. To prepare prosecution reports and to act as a lead investigating officer and/or professional witness in Court on behalf of the Council. To make applications to the Magistrate’s Court for warrants, execute the warrants and ensure the seizure, detention and proper destruction of goods such as noise making equipment or gain entry to premises in the exercise of enforcement powers.
To contribute to the production of specialist technical reports and strategies and comment on planning and licensing applications in relation to licensed premises with specific regard to statutory nuisance especially noise and its potential public health impact and review and comment on validation reports submitted.
To be able to work anti-social hours, routinely unaccompanied, away from local authority premises. This requires lone working in potentially difficult situations where decisions often have to be made requiring legal enforcement action when advice from more senior officers is not immediately available. The post holder will be required to participate in the Department’s out of hour’s standby scheme.
Please send your CV through to us via info@kenyonblock.com
