Collaborative Cultural Training for Public Health Inspectors

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Public Health Sanitarians in the County’s Health Division inspect and enforce the County Sanitary Code and State Laws relating to environmental health and food safety. Sanitarians make on-site field inspections of all restaurants, group lodging and care facilities, and recreational areas to conduct food safety inspections in order to license the county’s approximately 4,800 restaurants, numerous vending machines and temporary food booths at local fairs and events. In this capacity they interact with numerous culturally diverse populations on a daily basis. Challenges in completing their job requirements often exist due to language barriers as well as food preparation and storage techniques based on cultural and religious norms of restaurant proprietors and workers. To assist in communicating effectively through these challenges, a training program was developed that allows Sanitarians the opportunity to learn about various cultures and religious norms, which provides them with tools to assist them in effectively completing their job. This program focused on the five cultures that are represented within Oakland County: Jewish Orthodox, Arabic, Latin American, Greek, and Chinese/Thai.