Types of Inspections

Synopsis of inspection activities performed by the Environmental Health Division of the Council Bluffs Department of Public Health.

Nuisance Investigations

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health spends a significant percentage of time enforcing the local nuisance codes. Over 14,OOO nuisance inspections were performed this past year. The department responds to complaints filed with the city and an officer initiated investigations addressing junk, trash, solid waste, junk vehicles, weeds, and many other neighborhood problems. Inspections are made of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The department issues municipal citations, cleans properties, and coordinates with the Police Department to tow vehicles, which are in violation of the city code or present a health or safety hazard. The Health Department also works directly with the Police Department (Police Area Representatives) and the Rental Housing /Building inspectors to improve neighborhood conditions and improve properties which have multiple city code violations. Citizens are welcome to anonymously call in the location of nuisance problems to the Department of Public Health at 328-4666.

Tattoo Establishments:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health licenses and inspects tattoo businesses to verify that they comply with all health and safety requirements established by state law. The inspection covers sanitary tattoo procedures, verifies that equipment is properly cleaned and sterilized, and confirms that the tattoo artist has been approved by the Iowa Department of Public Health to perform tattoo activities within the state of Iowa.

Adult Bookstores:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health licenses and inspects adult bookstore businesses to confirm that they comply with local municipal code requirements. Inspections address general sanitation within the establishment, proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures, and verification that appropriate staffing standards are met.

Air Monitoring:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health does all air monitoring within the city of Council Bluffs to determine if the air quality meets standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state of Iowa air quality standards. Air samples are taken every three days at three air monitors within the city. The samples are checked for general air quality, lead, and pollution associated with vehicles, industry, and agricultural activities.

Noise Monitoring and Control:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health occasionally investigates noise complaints from residential or industrial resources. Studies of the noise sources are performed to determine if the noise is in excess of local municipal code limits. If a violation is identified, action is taken to reduce the noise to acceptable levels or eliminate the noise nuisance.

Rodent/Pest Control:

Public Health Officers with the Council Bluffs Department of Public Health are all state certified pest control operators. They investigate rat infestations and cockroach infestations within the city. The city has a rodent baiting program for public properties and Health Officers order and monitor pest extermination activities on private property to ensure that pests with the potential to spread disease are quickly eliminated.

Mosquito-borne Disease Surveillance:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health monitors for the presence of diseases carried by mosquitoes from May through September. With the assistance and support of the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Council Bluffs Department of Public Health maintains a sentinel chicken flock near the river and collects blood samples from the birds weekly. The blood samples are analyzed to determine if viruses which can cause encephalitis in people have been brought into the area or are present in the local mosquito populations. A light trap is also operated near the river daily to collect mosquitoes. The information can be used to monitor mosquito populations, what type of mosquitoes are present, if the mosquitoes are carrying viruses, and can be used to watch for newly emerging viral infections (presence of the Asian tiger Mosquito, spread of the West Nile virus from the Northeast U.S. into Iowa, etc.)

Septic Systems:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health applies the rules and regulations of the Iowa Administrative rules Chapter 69 to ensure that septic systems installed in Council Bluffs have the greatest chance of working properly for the longest period of time. When they are installed, we check to see that the system will properly fit onto the property and that the soils were tested to determine feasibility of that system. When the system is installed an on-site inspection is conducted to determine that it is installed to the specifications. An accurate map of the system is required of the installer, which is placed into the file. That file is then kept permanently to allow for reference whenever there is a problem with the system.

Hotel, Motel Inspections and Licensing:

Hotel and Motels in Iowa are licensed and inspected under the authority of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Council Bluffs Department of Public Health has a contract, a 28-E agreement, with the DIA to license and inspect the Hotels and Motels in the city. Within that agreement, we do the inspections biennially and for our efforts we keep the license fees to help offset the costs of a making those inspections and keeping records. We apply the Iowa Hotel- Motel Rules as written by the DIA in our inspections.

Pollen Count:

Each year in late summer people begin to experience to stuffiness and congestion of the sinuses. A large contributor to this problem is pollen in the air we breathe. Therefore, in conjunction with the State Hygienic Laboratory in Iowa City, Iowa, the Council Bluffs Department of Public Health scientifically counts the pollen in the air daily and reports the results to local media and to the State Hygienic Laboratory. The State Hygienic Laboratory collects data from cities around Iowa and reports those results to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. When there is a high pollen count the public is notified by the CDC. Locally the news media report daily to the citizens so they can make their own decisions concerning their own comfort.

Farm Animal Permits:

The City of Council Bluffs concern for both citizen comfort and safety, has developed a system whereby those citizens wishing to have farm type animals in the city can have them if they meet certain conditions. Those conditions are found in the City Code in section 4.20. Citizens may apply for a farm animal permit and pay a fee, which covers the cost to administer the inspections and keeping of records. The Health Department staff inspect the premises to determine if the animals covered by the permit application can be kept with no or minimal negative impact on the neighborhood.

Radon and Indoor Air:

Using funds from a grant from the Iowa Asthma, Indoor air, Radon Coalition the Council Bluffs Department of Public Health advertises in local media to encourage citizens to test their homes for the presence of Radon in quantities large enough to affect their health. The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health also makes available to the public for a minimal charge, test kits with which to test for radon presence. Health Department staff is available to counsel people about the presence and health effects of Radon.

IDPH Radon Program

Asbestos in the Environment:

While there are no organized efforts at present, Health Department staff are available to counsel citizens about the presence and health effects of asbestos.

Contractors & Home Owner's BEWARE!!

Childhood lead poisoning is a major problem in Iowa because much of the housing contains lead-based paint. About 60% of the homes in Iowa were built before 1960. Many children are poisoned when lead-based paint is disturbed in painting and remodeling projects.

Childhood lead poisoning is a disease that occurs when children have too much lead in their bodies. This can be prevented! (See booklet, "How to Protect Iowa Families")

Since 1999, Iowa law has required contractors to give property owners and occupants a notification and approved lead hazard information pamphlet before starting renovation, remodeling, or repainting in homes built before 1978.

Since 2002, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has conducted random spot checks of contractors to monitor compliance with the statute. When IDPH has found that contractors who are not complying with the law, IDPH has encouraged voluntary compliance. Because the statute has been in effect for 5 years and because of public health importance of ensuring that home owners receive this information, IDPH will begin imposing civil penalties for violation of this law after April 1, 2005.

**** This information was provided by Angie Poole, Bureau of Lead Poisoning Prevention 1-800-972-2026, for more information.

Lead Testing and Counseling:

Even though lead based paint has been off the market for years and lead has been removed from vehicle fuels children are continuing to become lead burdened and poisoned. Much of the lead children are getting is in the environment in which they are living. Older housing, which was once painted with lead, based paint and afterwards painted over with something else. The paint becomes weathered and chips off or is knocked off by normal living. Very young children chew on anything they can and will eat anything that is loose. Also they crawl around as soon as they can and become very intimate with their surroundings. If lead dust is present from the abrading of surfaces kids get it on their hands. And we know they put those hands in their mouths. An interesting thing about lead based paint chips, they are slightly sweet and they get eaten. Once inside the lead is digested in much the same way as calcium and deposited in bones in place of calcium. Lead also affects the brain and slows the development of the child. The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health can test children on a limited basis for the presence of lead by sampling the blood.

The things that can be done are to remove the lead from children's environment or remove the child from that environment. The best solution is to remove the lead. Health department staff is available to counsel citizens on the health effects and proper removal of lead bearing materials.

IDPH Lead Poisoning Prevention

Funeral Home Inspection and Licensing:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health inspects and licenses funeral homes to ensure that bodies are prepared for burial in a safe and sanitary manner. Activities such as the backflow prevention for the disposal of waste products into the sewer system, the proper sterilization of equipment and utensils, and the isolation of potentially infectious materials are all evaluated at an inspection. Funeral homes are subject to annual inspections.

Inspection and Licensing for Recreational Bon Fires:

Citizens of Council Bluffs must have a permit before enjoying recreational bon fires, and it is the job of the Public Health Department to enforce this. To minimize the risk associated with all open burnings, the proposed site of the fire must meet certain qualifications. The fire ring must be free of dry grass and weeds, there must be a water source available to the site, and only clean dry firewood may be used for burning materials. Once the proposed site for the fire has met these requirements and passes the inspection; the permit is issued by the public health official.

Audits of School Immunization Records:

Protection against infectious diseases and epidemics rely in large part on immunizations and shots for many serious and easily spread diseases, such as measles, polio and meningitis, are given during childhood. School nurses ensure that elementary, middle and high-school children have all the required immunizations as set forth by national guidelines, and it is the job of the Public Health Department to double-check or audit this. Every fall, the immunization records of each child at all Council Bluffs schools are examined by public health officials. If deficiencies are found in a child's record, the school nurse then has the opportunity to arrange the appropriate shots for the child and bring him or her up to date. This is an instance where public health nurses, school nurses and public health sanitarians are able to work together to protect the health of all Council Bluffs children.

Swimming Pool and Spa Inspection and Licensing:

Threats to physical safety and the spread of communicable diseases are hazards associated with improperly managed swimming pools and spas. Every year, all pools and spas, all pools accessible to the public in Council Bluffs, are inspected by the Public Health Department. Things that could compromise physical safety, such as improperly covered drains and outlets, trip hazards on the deck and the pool exterior, security and supervision of the facility, and improperly balanced water chemistry, are evaluated and corrected by the inspectors and the pool managers. Sanitation of pools and spas relies upon adequate disinfectant levels, frequent and complete testing of the water, monthly laboratory tests for bacteria, and supervision of patrons and bathers. During inspection, all of these aspects of pool management are also examined and discussed. The Health Department inspects pools on an annual basis.

Adopt-a-Street:

The Adopt-a-Street Program allows the City and community-based organizations to work together to ensure the cleanliness and beauty of Council Bluffs. Organizations ranging from volunteer groups and churches to businesses and corporations are invited to apply for the adoption of a particular street. Once the application is approved by the Mayor and the Directors of Public Health and Public Works, the street becomes the responsibility of the organization for a four year period. Four times every year, members of each organization take time to remove trash and litter from their streets, cut weeds and tall grasses, and put forth valuable extra effort to keep their streets beautiful. Signs depicting the streets that have been adopted and the organization that takes care of that street can be seen all over Council Bluffs. Organizations interested in this program, and in adopting their own street, are encouraged to call the Public Health Department at 328-4666.

Food Service Establishment and Retail Establishment Licenses:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health has entered into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, under IA Code 137F, to inspect and license restaurants, grocery stores, bars and taverns, convenient stores, food warehouses, vending machines and liquor stores for violations under the IA code. This also includes temporary and mobile food units for licensing. We currently have around 380 establishments that are inspected at least once per year within the City of Council Bluffs. Approximately half of those fall under guidelines to inspect twice and three times yearly depending upon the criteria, which we classify as risk category 2 & 3 or medium to high-risk facilities. If we find serious violations, we have the ability to close or issue citations to the owner until the problem is corrected. The emphasis of the food service inspection is evolved around HACCP or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points which follows a potentially hazardous food from the time it arrives into the establishment through storage prep, service and reheating and reserving to the public.

In addition to the inspections, we must go out to follow up on incidents and accidents involving fire, smoke, water (flooding), power outages, etc. to ensure the food is safe to eat for the general public. We are also responsible for reviewing and approving of plans for new restaurant openings. We currently inspect around 7-8 vending operations, involving the sales of ready-to-eat foods kept cold and dairy products as well as fountain pop, coffee, etc. We also inspect some 30 schools and cafeterias in the Council Bluffs Community Schools, Saint Albert and Lewis Central School districts. This includes a yearly inspection usually in the fall and also the government funded summer lunch programs at about 11 schools. Other duties include educating the restaurant and school personnel and management in proper food handling. This is most commonly done through a course known as ServSafe. This is an 8-10 hour class that is endorsed by the National Restaurant Association and Department of Education and is currently taught by an instructor from DIA.

Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals

Investigate Illegal Burning:

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health investigates incidents of illegal burning and/or issue citations that may require a fine and court appearance for violating the No-Burn City ordinance that has been in effect since the late 1960's

Seat Belt Safety

The Council Bluffs Department of Public Health has worked with the Iowa Governors Traffic Safety Bureau for 10 or more years to promote seatbelt safety by doing the following: 1) Educating the general public through Lamaze Classes at the hospitals, 2) Having a seatbelt awareness class through the pre-schools and daycares using subjects such as Vince and Larry, the seatbelt dummies, and Bucklebear to educate the children. We have made visits and presentations to 20-30 daycares and schools in the surrounding Council Bluffs area including Crescent. We are also members of Safe Kids, an organization that also promotes seatbelt/child safety.