Pillars of Governmental Environmental Public Health | A Guide to Scalable Environmental Public Health Programs
Education/Training/Certifications
where operators are required to notify health department staff on recognition of such infections. This metric can also be a measure of how well a program’s complaint surveil- lance is working to detect adverse events.
Staffing
A bachelor’s degree in a science field was identified as the preferred education requirement for body art programs, though some participants noted that a 4-year degree might not be essential for performing body art program duties specifically. The REHS/RS credential was also recommended for EPH professionals in body art programs. On-the-job training is also recommended for body art pro- gram staff. Additionally, bloodborne pathogen training is recommended for body art program staff and might be required by many jurisdictions. Participants indicated that inspectors of body art programs benefit from undergoing the same training and testing that is required of operators and artists in their jurisdiction. Equipment Needs Much of the equipment used by inspectors for body art pro- grams are non-specific tools that can be used when per - forming duties for other EPH programs, such as computers, thermometers, cell phones with cameras, flashlights, light meters, and educational materials for operators. For establishments with an autoclave, a Type 5 integrator/ Cat 5 test strips are needed to ensure the autoclave is run- ning appropriately. Processes, protocols, and guidance documents provide the foundation that supports EPH professionals who inspect body art facilities, which underlies all these basic equip- ment needs. Funding Sources/Barriers Body art programs are largely fee-based in that they gen- erate revenue by charging licensing or permitting fees of the establishments and/or artists.
Many participants reported their body art programs use a fee-based model. Given that most participants indicated having fewer than 200 body art establishments in their jurisdictions, staff in this program likely perform duties in other EPH programs. Body art establishments can be assigned to inspectors based on geographic location in dis- tricts and routes, specialties of the establishment, special- ties of the inspector, or proximity of the establishment to other establishments that need inspecting, while keeping in mind maintaining a balanced workload for each inspector. Research findings indicate that 3–4 body art inspections per week were considered reasonable for part-time EPH professionals, keeping in mind that most participants reported they did not have enough facilities for a full-time inspector. Programs can use this guidance along with their estimated number of annual body art inspection needs to determine appropriate staffing levels. In addition to confirmation that establishments receive the requisite number of inspections per year in each jurisdiction, one way to determine needed staffing levels is to consider the number of facilities, number of artists, and number of inspections required to be performed per year. Participants who license artists suggest that staffing rates might also need to consider the number of artists per establishment, and another suggested consideration of the volume of business the shop does to determine length of time of an inspection. In addition to drive time factors, these elements could influence staffing needs for programs that require check-ins with each artist. When programs consider staffing needs, participants note that inspector workload analysis helps determine if more staffing is needed and have provided evidence of unmet inspection frequency requirements to support staffing requests.
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