Shadowing a Sanitarian at CCBH

I was located at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for my senior Capstone project. I was lucky to be at this location as it provided for many different shadowing opportunities. My favorite experience, by far, throughout my Capstone was the day I got to shadow two sanitarians employed by CCBH.

In the morning, I met with the first employee, Tom, at the city of Euclid’s town hall. He explained that with his job, he was required to conduct many inspections throughout Euclid including lead paint, bed bug, pools and hot tubs, pet stores, and even responds to complaints from city residents. His recent complaints included the Notre Dame College wrestling team getting herpes and a local resident’s apartment smelling of strong cat urine. He’s worked this job for over ten years, so he says he’s not usually surprised by what he comes in contact with anymore. After this talk, we went to a local hotel to inspect the pool and hot tub. I learned that this is not just a typical water test, but also involved inspecting pool equipment, heaters, and signs. It was so detailed that it took over two hours. The most important thing I learned was that if the pool smells very strongly of chlorine, the chemical balance is not right and it is not up to standards. 

After the pool, we went to a pet store. Pet store inspections are not required, but CCBH feels that they are worthwhile. He looked for signs informing customers about hand washing and diseases that could be spread through animals. The store had some but he gave them even more. He also looked for a separate room that was specifically for people to play with the animals and hand sanitizers throughout the store. In the end, the pet store met requirements and passed inspection.

In the afternoon, I met with Suzanne.  She is in charge in charge of inspecting all restaurants in Euclid twice a year. She wanted to make sure that I saw good inspections, bad inspections, and everything in between.  We were able to make it to six restaurants in the afternoon. Our first stop was at a restaurant that is known for having awesome food, but is also a hole in the wall. It was her fourth visit there. If the owner did not make the necessary changes soon, unfortunately, Suzanne would have to take him to court. In my opinion, the cooking area was pretty gross, but apparently is drastically better compared to the first time she was there. The next visit was in great condition and Suzanne gave it a rave review. For the next three visits, Suzanne let me type the reports and tell the owners about the necessary changes. It was awesome that she had so much confidence in me after only knowing me for a few hours. The last visit failed miserably. Their food preparation needed a ton of work; they were cutting raw chicken in the sink where dishes were washed. There was also a big communication barrier, as the owners spoke mostly Mandarin. While Suzanne was a pro at inspections, I could see that this made her job even harder to do. Luckily, she had an upcoming food safety class that was presented in Mandarin.

At the end of the day, I learned a lot. I've worked at many different restaurants, but never knew about this inspection process. The food safety I learned will even help me in my own home. Unfortunately, I will now look at restaurants and pools very differently. I will definitely be more cautious when ordering food and going into hotel pools.