As with most organizations and entities, Boston boasts a behind the scenes workforce that residents rarely realize is responsible for keeping their everyday lives as seamless as possible. Meet the Inspectional Service Department of Boston (ISD), the municipal branch in charge of making sure Boston continues to grow in the safest, healthiest way possible.

With over 220 employees, it’s the ISD that, as noted by Commissioner Bryan Glascock in the video below, that “protects the structural integrity of the city… making sure housing is safe and sanitary…so streets are clean and the road and populations are kept in check.”

They’re also in charge of making sure food in restaurants and markets are clean, and that through the weights and measures division everything is accurately maintained.

And what’s perhaps the most intriguing and optimistic information provided by the ISD is that they’ve got their fingers on the pulse of the city’s economic standing. Gaslock notes in the video that they’ve witnessed “a definite increase in the number of building permit applications” that, with the help of fellow departments, allow them to offer residents and business owners a multifaceted fabric comprised of all sorts of lucrative amenities courtesy of the City of Boston.

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out the video below and get to know the Inspectional Service Department.

Inspectional Service Department from City of Boston on Vimeo.