Duties include both primary and follow-up inspections of public establishments to ensure compliance with sanitary codes.
Inspectors may relay establishment violations to the owner or manager and ensure he or she ameliorates these within an appropriate amount of time.
Health inspectors check the hygiene of workers, and the cleanliness of kitchen pans and utensils, and the food prep surfaces that can lead to cross contamination of food if not cleaned properly.
In many communities, health inspectors routinely test the water at beaches, ponds and other recreational swimming areas for bacteria, viruses and other harmful microoganisms.