PPC121 | BUSINESS

In this article, Fergal Flynn, environmental health graduate turned pest controller, shares how to get on the same wavelength as your Environmental Health Officer and turn potential friction into smooth, professional teamwork.

Why EHOs think the way they do

Before I studied environmental health, I thought “EHO” was one job. In reality, you’ll meet different officers with different remits. Some focus on food safety in cafés, takeaways and factories. Others are housing officers who deal with HMOs and hazards in rented homes. Environmental protection officers handle nuisances. Those worlds overlap at the edges, yet each has its own priorities, codes and pressures.

EHOs want the same outcome we do – safe, pest-free environments. They just have to get there via a rules-based route. That means evidence, proportionality and a clear line from risk to action. Remember the context they are working in:

• Politics (think councillors and managers)
• Limited resources (small teams and not enough hours)
• Variable pest knowledge - most degrees touch pest control briefly, so many officers learn on the job.

See those pressures, and your approach to communication immediately improves. Be the expert who makes their decisions easier, not the person who adds noise.

The enforcement toolkit I look out for

When you know the common notices and orders, you can predict the next step and help your client without drama.

The golden rule is graduated enforcement: start informal, escalate only if needed. When you mirror that logic in your reports and conversations, you sound like part of the solution.

Works in default explained

• A notice is served with a compliance period. For example, 14 days under Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, S4
• If the person responsible does not comply, the council can instruct a contractor to complete the work
• Costs are recovered from the owner
• Some councils use this often, some rarely. It depends on policy and budgets.

If you are reliable, credible and keep officers informed from start to finish, you are far more likely to get the call when work in default is on the table.

Burden of proof and why it matters

Criminal enforcement needs proof beyond reasonable doubt, so EHOs take their own photos and notes even if your evidence is strong.Help them get gold standard evidence:

• Photograph the approach, the context and the detail
• Capture both the defect and its consequence, for example, gnawing at a door and droppings in the same frame
• When filming, pan from the entrance to the area of concern so a stranger could follow it
• Offer to take a photo on the officer’s device from your carefully chosen angle.

Good documentation speeds decisions and protects everyone if a case goes to court.

Speak their language

Officers respond well when we frame our work as reasonable, proportionate and risk-based with a graduated approach. That is their world. Likewise, when an EHO talks about HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) or “Safer Food, Better Business,” I know exactly what they expect to see in a small kitchen. 

If a new café rings, I will ask whether they use Safer Food, Better Business and pitch my advice to that baseline. It tells me how much they know and stops me overloading them.

Food premises are a team sport

In commercial kitchens, I always remember that pest control is only one part of the operator’s food safety management. They may be using a template like Safer Food, Better Business or a bespoke HACCP plan in a factory. I make my reports simple and aligned with their documentation:

• Clear findings linked to specific hazards
• Specific controls with owners and dates
• Monitoring or verification steps that fit their routine.

When working on farms, expect overlap with feed and agricultural compliance. I have not worked closely with feed officers, yet the principle holds. Tailor controls to the risks of the site and document them coherently.

The case study that sums it up

Mr and Mrs Smith have just moved in. They are seeing rats at the fence line. A peek over shows bird feeders and an open compost heap next door. Here is how a textbook case runs:

1. Informal – the Smiths are encouraged to speak to Mrs Jones next door.
2. Initial visit – the officer visits both, explains cause and control, and sets a reasonable timeframe.
3. Notice – if needed, a PDPA s4 notice requires proofing and changes to feeding/compost within the period stated.
4. Follow up – if the work is done, great. If not, works in default or prosecution may follow.

Where do I add value? I assist the Smiths in preparing clear notes and photos, and I write an evidence-led report with practical recommendations. Additionally, I keep the officer informed about the progress of agreed actions. Everyone’s job becomes easier, and the activity stops faster.

The simple reporting habits that win

I changed my whole approach after my EHO placement. These habits make a visible difference:

Keep it tight
Short, plain English sentences and bullet points are truly helpful.

Separate what you know from what you suspect
Evidence first, hypotheses second.

Recommend, do not rant
No emotive language, no accusations without proof.

Get a second pair of eyes 
A colleague review can spot unclear or missing steps.

Close the loop 
If work is done, tell the officer with a two-line update and a photo. Do that and you will be invited to help shape the enforcement plan, not just react to it.

What not to do

• Do not fire every neighbour dispute at the council and instead coach clients through informal steps first
• Do not bury an officer in a thirty-page data dump (they need clarity, not volume)
• Do not talk down to anyone – you’re the specialist, yet you are part of a system
• Do not send half-finished reports. 

A practical checklist you can lift and use

Before you get the EHO involved
Confirm the client has tried reasonable informal contact with any third party. Gather photos that show cause and effect in context. Prepare a one-page summary with findings, risks and proportionate controls.

When you are collaborating
Agree who is doing what by when and how you will report progress. Offer practical help to capture evidence on the officer’s device. Use the words reasonable, proportionate and risk-based when setting out options.

After work is complete
Send a brief completion note with before and after photos. Record lessons learned in your template for next time.

Pricing for collaboration without losing your shirt

Working closely with EHOs takes admin time (more notes, more photos, more liaisons). Be open with clients.

We price projects to reflect that full service: investigation, treatment, proofing and liaison through to sign off. Most people will happily pay a bit more for a package that actually resolves the problem and keeps regulators satisfied. When you collaborate well:

• Problems are resolved faster because the steps are sequenced and proportionate
• Your credibility rises when officers learn you are accurate, calm and reliable
• Referrals happen, and while they cannot endorse you, works in default and local familiarity are very real
• Officers save time when your information is usable, meaning their caseload moves quickly.

We’re united in public health. By understanding each other, speaking clearly, and sharing clean evidence, everyone wins – especially the customer who wants pests gone and business open.

Resources

If you want to dig deeper, these are the documents I keep bookmarked:

• Food Law Code of Practice - The spine of food enforcement.
• Your council’s enforcement policy - Tells you how they escalate and whether they use works in default.
• Safer food, better business - A practical baseline for small food businesses.
• Housing health and safety guidance - Useful when pests intersect with damp, disrepair and new duties such as Awaab’s Law.
• Prevention of Damage by Pests Act - What a section 4 notice really requires.

Use those to shape both your advice and your paperwork. It helps you speak their language and sound like you belong in the conversation.

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