State of Maryland

A Compliance Inspector III for Weights and Measures is the full performance level of inspection, investigation and enforcement in the Weights and Measures program within the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Employees in this classification conduct regulatory inspections, respond to consumer complaints, take appropriate legal action, and ensure compliance of businesses and device owners with weights and measures law. This position upholds the law to ensure equity in the marketplace for any commodity sold by weight, measurement, or count affecting both consumers and businesses. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a Compliance Inspector Supervisor, Administrator or Program Manager in the Weights and Measures program. The work requires use of safety equipment, such as clothing, eyewear, gloves, safety shoes, respirators, ear protection, and hardhats. Employees are regularly required to travel to designated areas throughout the State, frequently perform inspections indoors and outdoors and may be exposed to hostile weather conditions and potentially hazardous fumes from motor fuels. The work requires walking over uneven surfaces, bending, lifting up to 50 lbs. on a continuous basis, and prolonged standing.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the classification specification.

The Compliance Inspector I, II, and III, Weights and Measures are differentiated based on supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees. The Compliance Inspector I, Weights and Measures learns to perform the duties under close supervision. The Compliance Inspector II, Weights and Measures performs the duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times, depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed. The Compliance Inspector III, Weights and Measures performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision. The Compliance Inspector Advanced, Weights and Measures is differentiated from the Compliance Inspector III, Weights and Measures in that Compliance Inspector III performs the full range to duties and responsibilities under general supervision while the Compliance Inspector Advanced conducts inspections on two or more complex measuring devices and may train, assign, and review the work of lower-level Compliance Inspectors.

Conducts inspections on diverse devices such as but not limited to liquid measuring devices such as retail motor fuel devices, bulk motor fuel devices, small scales, medium scales, large scales, vehicle scales, and/or scales used to export grain;

Conducts site inspections of net contents of packaged goods to verify accurate labeling by weight, volume or count;

Conducts site inspections of retail point-of-sale software systems to verify consistency of advertised prices with prices stored in the retailer’s electronic scanning devices;

Completes Weights and Measures device registration applications for unregistered devices;

Reviews the Weights and Measures Device Registration Certificate to ensure correctness;

Enters and inspects businesses and takes necessary enforcement action on method of sale;

Responds, investigates, and carries out necessary legal action in reference to consumer complaints;

Contacts complainants by phone or email in reference to complaints filed with the department and explains findings and actions of the investigation;

Documents investigation findings in a report format;

Issues and enforces stop sales orders and warnings to retailers and distributors who are found in non-compliance with inspection criteria;

Attends training seminars both in state and out-of-state, in order to learn the various inspection methods that apply to the inspection and testing of various devices;

Reads, interprets and applies Weights and Measures law, regulations, pertaining to NIST HB 44, HB 130, and HB133;

Acts as an arbitrator between consumers, and businesses in an effort to ensure equity;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of measuring techniques for a variety of devices such as liquid measuring devices such as retail motor fuel devices, bulk motor fuel devices, small scales, medium scales, large scales, vehicle scales, and/or scales used to export grain;

Knowledge of the weights and measures laws, rules, regulations and procedures and enforcement actions related to non-compliance;

Knowledge of enforcement action, inspection and investigation techniques;

Knowledge of package inspection for verification by weight;

Knowledge of safety procedures and protocols for handling various materials, such as fuel, food products, livestock, grain, and precious metals;

Ability to read, interpret, and explain applicable laws, regulations to device owners;

Ability to communicate effectively with device owners, consumer, state personnel, office staff, and the general public;

Ability to complete mathematical equations and conversions used in everyday activities pertaining to inspection activities, investigation fining, and tolerance values;

Ability to recognize regulation violations, and take appropriate enforcement action;

Ability to prepare and complete accurate and concise reports;

Ability to use a variety of devices in field testing such as but not limited to volumetric standards, vehicle and trailer mounted standards, cast iron weights, small mass standards, and scales.

Education: Graduation from an accredited high school or possession of a high school equivalency certificate.

Experience: Three years of experience in the inspection, repair, or testing of weighing and/or volumetric measuring devices; or in inspecting labeling and packages.

Notes:

1. Applicants may substitute fifteen credit hours in physical sciences; chemistry; mathematics; engineering, or law enforcement at an accredited college or university for one year of the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience non-commissioned officer in quality assurance, inspection and grading classification or quality assurance, inspection and grading specialty codes in the agricultural commodity grading field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System. All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions. Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit C, Regulatory, Inspection, and Licensure classes. As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation. An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series. NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series. In order to be noncompetitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.