California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) Help Desk

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

To help nearly 15,000 businesses understand, navigate — and comply with — state reporting requirements to submit hazardous materials information online, in early 2015 the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health (DEH) created an innovative “help desk team” dedicated to helping customers by providing technical assistance through the electronic reporting requirement over the telephone or in the office, created how-to documents, training videos, and held workshops Before DEH created the “California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) Help Desk,” only 60 percent of the county’s 14,800 affected businesses were successfully submitting accurate information – information that supports safer communities because current hazardous materials information if available to fire responders. That rate has increased to 100 percent since the help desk was created. This help desk is the only one of its kind in California. DEH collaborated with the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), DEH staff, hundreds of businesses and thousands of business representatives to create the help desk. Doing so allowed to DEH to create an effective solution that leveraged existing resources, communicated clearly with businesses, and maintained the County commitment to provide excellent customer service.