California Environmental Health Resources for new job (real estate, transporting)

[Inmyblood]

Hello,

After a long and tiring/depressing job hunt I might finally get a Job in California (Environmental health specialist trainee), and want to be utmost prepared for the tasks of the jobs and want to have the most knowledge I can acquire regarding California environmental health laws as well as whatever resources that you think might help.

I know that the job offers training but I want to be already prepared for the job when I start. I condensed the job description to the points that I want to know more about mostly. Maybe you can recommend a book regarding environmental health law enforcement/ compliance checks methods as well as most important resources to learn about the environmental laws for Hazardous materials division.

Basically the department has a couple of options for the environmental health specialist trainee, and the option I will be working for is hazardous materials. I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Here is the condensed job description I hope you can give me some tips as for what would be wise resources to learn from before starting;


Environmental Health Specialist is a professional class series responsible for implementing program activities related to the protection of the environment and the public health and safety of residents through permit, inspection, education, consultation, planning, investigation and enforcement activities. Positions in this class are allocated only to the Department of Environmental Health to permit, inspect, consult and advise industrial and commercial establishments, residents, property owners, and solid waste transfer and disposal facility managers regarding their conformance and compliance with federal, state, and local environmental health, safety and sanitation laws, codes, and regulations.

Hazardous Materials Option Essential functions.

Conducts inspections of hazardous waste generators and hazardous materials establishments to insure compliance with applicable laws and regulations pertaining to waste storage, treatment, handling, transporting, disposal and record keeping.
Conducts hazardous materials business plan and disclosure inspections to insure proper accounting of hazardous materials.
Inspects underground storage tanks (UST) and monitoring equipment for compliance.
Inspects petroleum storage facilities for compliance with the Aboveground Protection Storage Act.
Promotes and educates businesses on the benefits of pollution prevention
Reviews and approves/disapproves permit applications and plans submitted by customers for monitoring wells and underground storage tank systems (UST) installations and closures.
Reviews investigations on real estate transfers.

Knowledge of :

Environmental health principles and practices
Principles, practices and techniques relating to the protection of the environment and enforcement of public health and safety regulations
Principles, practices and techniques of hazardous materials inspection.
Federal, State and local laws, regulations, ordinances and codes related to environmental and public health, safety and sanitation

Skills and Abilities to:

Assess, evaluate, and investigate public complaints regarding food, water, noise, hazardous materials, solid waste, vectors, or other concerns regarding the environment
Review and interpret maps, building plans, blueprints, permitting, closure; and other documents related to proposed sites, structures or fixtures
Handle difficult public contact situations and negotiate compliance points\

Thank you for your help !

[DCMann2]

Not sure why you're asking us instead of just Googling what you need but ok, I'll bite. I worked in the environmental field for a while when I was with the DAs of Butte and Yolo Counties and I worked closely with their Environmental Health departments. REHSes do inspections of a variety of facilities including restaurants, but there are other areas of EH that deal in hazardous materials/waste, though it depends on what you're gunning for.

Trainings are frequent and often intense, but the job itself didn't seem super hard. I'm assuming you're going to be working for a county's environmental health department so as long as you don't actively screw up and try your hardest you'll be fine. What county are you going to be working for and what's your degree in?