Public Health Records That Stand Up in Court

David Babcock begins his article for the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Environmental Health, "An environmental health inspector is writing up his or her restaurant inspection report. An epidemiologist is logging food history with an ill member of the public. In either case, the possibility that the document may someday be held to close legal scrutiny may be the furthest thing from their minds. But, while an exceedingly small percentage of food poisoning cases become legal matters, it does happen. And when it does, the documents generated by local health agencies are often front and center."