Caldwell County Health Department outlines environmental health services and inspections

Brie Flanagan, a public health educator at the Caldwell County Health Department, said the department’s environmental health division conducts education, inspections and enforcement to keep residents "clean, safe, and healthy".

The division inspects food-service establishments, lodging and institutions to enforce sanitation standards and to help establishments achieve active managerial control over risk factors that increase the likelihood of illness, Flanagan said. "Registered environmental health specialists provide programs directed to protect and promote the health and well-being of all citizens through environmental management," she said.

Flanagan said specialists routinely inspect establishments as authorized agents of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She also described lead-investigation procedures: blood testing is the only way to detect elevated lead levels, children under 6 are especially vulnerable, and local specialists will coordinate investigative services with the state when abnormal blood lead levels are found.

The health department also inspects public swimming pools to ensure compliance with state standards for water quality, construction and safety; no pool should be open to the public without an operations permit, Flanagan said. Onsite wastewater (septic) inspections confirm that sewage systems at residences, businesses and public assembly sites meet state regulations. Child-care facilities and schools are inspected to protect children’s health; child-care facilities are inspected at least once every six months under rules that govern daycare sanitation.

Residents with concerns about potential lead exposure, public pools, septic systems or child-care sanitation can contact the Caldwell County Health Department for guidance and to request inspections. Flanagan encouraged callers to reach the department for specific questions or to report potential hazards.