About Us
The Department of Environmental Health, a very dynamic department, has over 140 staff working in different sections. The department attracts a diverse range of employees, from the very technical worker needing a Master’s degree to the unskilled worker needing only a high school diploma.
To envision DEH’s structure, think of DEH as a large circle divided into eight wedges. These eight wedges or sections carry out the roles and responsibilities of protecting the public from environmental health hazards. The sections are Solid waste, District sanitation, Food hygiene and safety, Environmental engineering, Health & safety inspections, Public education, Environmental laboratory, and Administration & management. Each one of these sections employs people with a wide range of knowledge and skills, but all the sections are needed to carry out the functions of the Department of Environmental Health.
Responsibilities of DEH
Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
- Commercial and residential waste collection
- recycling, waste reduction and reuse
- Infectious waste management
- waste processing; waste disposal
- emergency response
- Roadside, beach and special event litter collection
District Sanitation
- Pollution prevention
- Land based pollution, industrial/commercial/residential
- Illegal dumping
- Derelict vehicles
- Rodent control
- Rodent baiting of private homes and government buildings
- Deratting certification for ships
- Statutory nuisance control
- Investigate public complaints
Food Hygiene and Safety
- Post-mortem inspection of locally slaughtered meats
- Monitoring of imported food containers
- Improvement, quality control and licensing inspections of commercial food facilities
- Food handler training
- Food recall
- Food-related illness investigations
- Food monitoring laboratory
Environmental Engineering
- Development control
- Review environmental health aspect of development including air quality, noise pollution, solid waste management, hazardous waste management, occupational health and safety, food hygiene, and swimming pool design etc
- Conduct certificate of occupancy inspections to ensure compliance with relevant environmental health guidelines
- Cemeteries management
- Estimate cemetery capacity
- Construction of vaults
- Design new cemeteries
- Other cemeteries works
- Engineering advice
- Provide technical advice on environmental health engineering matters
- Review technical reports
- Engineering inspections
- Engineering inspections of swimming pools for tourism accommodation premises
- Provide other engineering inspection services as required to support the other aspects of the department’s function.
- Engineering management
- Provide project management support for various environmental health engineering projects undertaken by the department
Environmental Health and Safety Inspections
- Inspection of public facilities
- schools and pre-schools
- day care centers
- retirement homes
- government buildings
- Inspection of consumer facilities
- barber shops and beauty salons
- gyms
- launderettes
- funeral homes
- photograph studios
- nurseries
Public Education and Promotions
- Provides information on environmental health issues
- Provides training
- Provides information to the public through
- school presentations
- community presentations
- the production of brochures
Environmental Health Laboratory
- Monitoring of public and private
- drinking water supplies
- swimming pools
- bathing beaches
- wastewater facility discharges
- Random food testing
- Monitoring of landfills
- Hazmat response and support
- Conducting assessments of
- Indoor air quality
- Mould remediation
- Used oil testing
Governing Legislation and Regulation
DEH is regulated by two laws, the Litter Law and the Public Health Law and Regulations. There are no regulations for the Litter Law.
The Litter Law (1997 Revision)
Public Health Law (2002 Revision)
- Public Health Law (Communicable Diseases) Regulations (1997 Revision)
- Public Health Law (Cemetery Fees) Regulations, 2001
- Public Health Law (Garbage and Refuse Disposal) Regulations (2003 Revision)
- Public Health Law (Infectious Waste) Regulations (2002 Revision)
- Public Health Law (Miscellaneous Fees) Regulations (2004 Revision)
- Public Health Law (Quarantine) Regulations (2002 Revision)
- Ships (Rodent Control) Regulations (2003 Revision)
Last Updated: 2008-12-15