2005 North Carolina Code - General Statutes § 90A-51. Definitions.

§ 90A‑51.  Definitions.

The words and phrases defined below shall when used in this Article have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1)       "Board" means the Board of Sanitarian Examiners.

(2)       "Certificate of registration" is a document issued as evidence of registration and qualification to practice as a sanitarian or a sanitarian intern under this Article. The certificate shall bear the designation "registered sanitarian" or "sanitarian intern" and show the name of the person, date of issue, serial number, seal, and signatures of the members of the Board.

(3)       "Registered sanitarian" is a sanitarian registered in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

(4)       "Sanitarian" is a public health professional qualified by education in the arts and sciences, specialized training, and acceptable environmental health field experience to effectively plan, organize, manage, execute and evaluate one or more of the many diverse elements comprising the field of environmental health.  Practice in the field of environmental health within the meaning of this Article includes, but is not limited to, organization, management, education, enforcement, and consultation for the purpose of prevention of environmental health hazards and the promotion and protection of the public health and the environment in the following areas:  food, lodging and institutional sanitation, on‑site sewage treatment and disposal, and milk and dairy sanitation.

                  For purposes of this Article the following are not included within the definition of "sanitarian":

a.         A person teaching, lecturing, or engaging in research.

b.         A person who is a sanitary engineer, public health engineer, public health engineering assistant, registered professional engineer, industrial hygienist, health physicist, chemist, epidemiologist, toxicologist, geologist, hydrogeologist, waste management specialist, or soil scientist, except when the person is working as a sanitarian.

c.         A public health officer or public health department director.

d.         A person who holds a North Carolina license to practice medicine, veterinary medicine, or nursing.

e.         Laboratory personnel when performing or supervising the performance of sanitation related laboratory functions.

                  It is the sole purpose of this Article to safeguard the health, safety, and general welfare of the public from adverse environmental factors and to register those environmental health professionals practicing as sanitarians who are qualified by education, training, and experience to work, or are working, in the public sector in the field of environmental health within the scope of practice as defined in this Article.

(5)       "Sanitarian intern" is a person who possesses the necessary educational qualifications as prescribed in G.S. 90A‑53(3), but who has not completed the experience and specialized training requirements in the field of public health sanitation as required for registration. (1959, c. 1271, s. 1; 1981 (Reg. Sess., 1982), c. 1274, s. 2; 1989, c. 545, s. 1.)