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| Elements of Inspection Reports |
This article has been intended not only to help
those who are new in the area of writing inspection reports but also to help
those who have been involved in writing inspection reports for many years and
are willing to sharpen their skill more in this field. There are some basic
elements that an inspector must not forget while writing an inspection report. For
this reason, an attempt has been made here to remind the inspectors what they
should include in their inspection reports. A good inspection report usually
includes the following elements in it.
A. General Information
·
Name of the business
·
Business address
·
Name of the owner/operator
·
Name(s) of the personnel directly involved in the
inspection and their titles
·
The date of inspection
·
Name of the inspector (with signature)
·
Name of the recipients (with signature
acknowledging receipt)
This information includes all potential witnesses
and helps future inspectors to smoothly conduct their inspections. If there is
any additional information, it can be included in this section.
B. Purpose of Inspection
The reason or reasons for the inspections should
be clearly stated in an inspection report. This helps the reader to get an idea
about the purpose and scope of the inspection. Generally, agencies conduct
inspections for the following reasons:
·
Routine compliance
·
Follow-up/re-inspection
·
Complaint
·
Emergency response
·
Installation, removal, or closure
C. Consent Documentation
Documenting consent in all inspection reports helps
an inspector to protect himself from the later claims of civil rights
violations and damages, and the accusations of impropriety. By simply
documenting consent, future constitutional challenges and constraints can be
avoided. Taking prior consent to conduct the inspection, to take photographs
and samples gives an inspector the solid legality to smoothly conduct the
inspection. In most cases, the consent is taken from the business owner or
operator. If the owner or operator is absent, an inspector should make his best
effort to take consent from a person with authority to grant consent.
D. Business Activities
Business activities of the businesses should be
documented in all inspection reports as they give a better understanding of the
potential regulatory requirements. For example, including the
permit/authorization status of units in an inspection report helps the reader much
to indicate which regulations are applicable to the unit/facility. In some
cases, it is necessary to document additional information related to the
operation of the facility.
E. Violation Documentation
Accurate documentation of
violations in an inspection report greatly increases the probability that the
violation is enforceable especially if it is challenged during enforcement. An
inspector should bear in mind the four key elements to documenting a violation
— (i) identifying the violation supported by a statutory or regulatory citation,
(ii) gathering evidence such as photographs, samples, documents and obtained
statements that strongly supports the elements of the violation, (iii) providing
corrective action to be taken and compliance timeframes for correction, and
(iv) documenting compliance with minor violations, non-minor violations,
unresolved compliance issues, corrected minor violations and re-inspection.
F. Observation Documentation
An inspector should document all observations made
at the facility or site in the inspection report. Alongside, relevant observations such as the
types of paperwork reviewed, dates noting changes in operation, names of visited
areas, tested alarms or sensors, and information provided by the facility about
the decisions they have made that may affect the regulation of a material or
waste should be noted in the inspection report. However, these observations should
be brief so that they can convey only important information.
G. Use of Notes
A
vast majority of inspectors use notes as a common tool. These notes are also
regarded as a part of the public record. The same guidelines as reports should
be followed while taking notes during inspection. They should be not only factual,
but also non-judgmental. There are many agencies that follow the practice of
using notes so that they can accurately compile the inspection report. Their
aim is to compare those notes to the final report so that they can ensure the accuracy
and completeness of the final report. Later they destroy the notes.
Tips to Write Good Inspection Reports
tips-to-write-good-inspection-reports
Writing good inspection reports is the result of
continuous effort. A lot of practice is needed for an inspector to become
successful in writing good inspection reports. However, an inspector should
consider the following elements while writing inspection reports.
A. Fairness
As an inspector you must write your inspection
report objectively. Hence, you should keep yourself impartial, unbiased and
unemotional. In addition, you must be aware of the facts you have already
gathered. You have to present these facts fairly in your inspection reports. Distortion
or emotional tone of words must be avoided. Never emphasize on the significance
of the evidence because it may considerably diminish the value of your report.
B. Quality
You should remain aware of maintaining the quality
of your inspection report. Since the overall quality of an inspection report
depends much on how you communicate your findings to the reader, you should as
far as possible present your findings in your report precisely and exactly. Precision
and lucidity of an inspection report mostly depend on proper dictation,
phrasing, and sentence structure.
C. Quotation
You should use your own discretion in determining
whether you should quote or paraphrase a witness in your report. You should consider
these factors according to the significance, or length of the statement. If quotation is necessary, you should quote
the exact words of the witness with quotation marks; otherwise, you should omit
quotation marks.
D. Exaggerations
Exaggerations destroy the authenticity of an
inspection report. So, you must be careful about exaggerations. Even one small
exaggeration may throw doubt upon the authenticity of other statements presented
in the report. Instead of stating that something was obvious; you should only
state the facts clearly and exactly.
E. Opinions, conclusion and inferences
It is advisable not to include opinions,
conclusion, and inferences in inspection reports. Only stating the facts should
be your business. Stating your personal opinions and inferences in an
inspection report may make its authenticity questionable. Your only goal is to present
the facts in such a way so that there is no need for conclusions or
interpretations.
F. Superlatives
The use of superlatives in your inspection reports
may lead your readers to doubt your objectivity. For instance, the statement 'A violation is
found…' is more reasonable and stronger than 'The worst violation is found…' To
state, 'He is a skilled worker' depicts a more convincing and stronger picture
than 'He is a highly skilled worker.'
G. Accuracy
Accuracy means correctness and truthfulness. It increases
the acceptability of an inspection report many times to the reader. Hence, before
submitting the final report, you should verify and cross check the accuracy of
your findings and computation. Even a single typographical error in time or
date may throw doubts on other facts in your report.
H. Technical Writing and Acronyms
If you work with chemicals with complex scientific
names, you will see that many of these chemicals have been identified by
acronyms. Much care should be taken when using acronyms. It is advisable to use
the scientific or common name in your report for the first time. Afterwards,
you can use acronyms of the chemicals.
I. Simplicity
You should present all the facts and findings of
your inspection in a simple and plain language. If the subject matter is very
complex, try to avoid any kind of elaboration. Instead, present only the facts,
findings, and necessary explanations. Readers always like to get the facts from
an inspection report as quickly as possible. Use short sentences and short
paragraphs in your inspection reports as they are easily digestible and reader
friendly.
J. Completeness
A good inspection report depicts a complete
picture to the reader. So, try to state all information that is relevant and factual.
Use your own discretion in determining which facts are relevant and necessary.
Completeness means that all the known facts and details have been included in an
inspection report and no further explanation is needed. Remember that your
report is totally complete only when it exactly answers the questions of who,
what, why, when, where, and how.
