The Environmental Health Officer

The environmental health officer has powers of entry to businesses, and their job is to ensure businesses comply with the rules. They have many powers including the prosecution of a business owner in a magistrates court of up to £20,000 or 6 months in prison or higher in a crown court of unlimited fines and 2 years in prison.

The Food Safety Agency (FSA) is there to improve standards, reduce problems, and promote best practices. Environmental Health officers enforce standards, give advice, and can close the business down. 

The Environmental Health Officer is somebody who could come into a business and inspect the standard at which food is being prepared. As a food establishment, you must give the officer access to your premises and provide correct and up to date records.

The environmental health officer has various powers, such as issuing an improvement notice if he finds that the food premises are not complying with any food hygiene regulations. They can issue a prohibition order; this will be imposed if a court feels the public are at risk. An emergency prohibition notice may be issued if an officer believes a business possesses an imminent risk to health, this may result in the business being closed and the case is placed in the hands of a court, an emergency prohibition order will close the business if the court believes an imminent risk to health, once closed the premises can only reopen when the local health authority certifies they no longer pose a risk to health.

An Emergency control order is issued on behalf of the sector of state for the government, this is issued when a commercial food operation has become a widespread health risk, and the business will be closed to prevent contaminated food reaching markets or the end consumer.

Hazard notices are issued by the department of health and environmental health services when issued the media are also contacted to inform the public of the general threat and inform how and where to return it.