An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the

measurement Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events. In other words, measurement is a process of determining how large or small a physical quantity is as compared ...

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

s, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity. The results are usually compared to specified

requirement In product development and process optimization, a requirement is a singular documented physical or functional need that a particular design, product or process aims to satisfy. It is commonly used in a formal sense in engineering design, includi ...

s and standards for determining whether the item or activity is in line with these targets, often with a Standard Inspection Procedure in place to ensure consistent checking. Inspections are usually non-destructive. Inspections may be a

visual inspection Visual inspection is a common method of quality control, data acquisition, and data analysis. Visual Inspection, used in maintenance of facilities, mean inspection of equipment and structures using either or all of raw human senses such as vision, ...

or involve sensing technologies such as

ultrasonic testing Ultrasonic testing (UT) is a family of non-destructive testing techniques based on the propagation of ultrasonic waves in the object or material tested. In most common UT applications, very short ultrasonic pulse-waves with center frequencies ...

, accomplished with a direct physical presence or remotely such as a remote visual inspection, and manually or automatically such as an

automated optical inspection Automated optical inspection (AOI) is an automated visual inspection Visual inspection is a common method of quality control, data acquisition, and data analysis. Visual Inspection, used in maintenance of facilities, mean inspection of equipment a ...

. Non-contact optical measurement and

photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

have become common NDT methods for inspection of manufactured components and design optimisation. A 2007 Scottish Government review of scrutiny of public services (the Crerar Review) defined inspection of public services as "... periodic, targeted scrutiny of specific services, to check whether they are meeting national and local performance standards, legislative and professional requirements, and the needs of service users." A surprise inspection tends to have different results than an announced inspection. Leaders wanting to know how others in their organization perform can drop in without warning, to see directly what happens. If an inspection is made known in advance, it can give people a chance to cover up or to fix mistakes. This could lead to distorted and inaccurate findings. A surprise inspection, therefore, gives inspectors a better picture of the typical state of the inspected object or process than an announced inspection. It also enhances external confidence in the inspection process.

Specific inspection

Manufacturing

Quality related in-process inspection/verification is an essential part of quality control in manufacturing. characteristics of a product or process and comparing the results with specified requirements to determine whether is the requirements are met for each characteristic. Common examples of inspection by measurement or gauging include using a

caliper A caliper (British spelling also calliper, or in plurale tantum sense a pair of calipers) is a device used to measure the dimensions of an object. Many types of calipers permit reading out a measurement on a ruled scale, a dial, or a digital dis ...

micrometer Micrometer can mean: * Micrometer (device), used for accurate measurements by means of a calibrated screw * American spelling of micrometre The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; ...

to determine if a dimension of a manufactured part is within the dimensional tolerance specified in a drawing for that part, and is thus acceptable for use.

Design for Inspection Design for Inspection (DFI) is an engineering principle that proposes that inspection methods and measurement instruments used to certify manufacturing conformity, should be considered early in the design of products. Production processes should be ...

(DFI) is a concept that should complement and work in collaboration with

Design for Manufacturability Design for manufacturability (also sometimes known as design for manufacturing or DFM) is the general engineering practice of designing products in such a way that they are easy to manufacture. The concept exists in almost all engineering discipli ...

(DFM) and

Design for Assembly Design for assembly (DFA) is a process by which product design, products are designed with ease of Manufacturing, assembly in mind. If a product contains fewer parts it will take less time to assemble, thereby reducing assembly costs. In addition, ...

(DMA) to reduce product manufacturing cost and increase manufacturing practicality.

Photogrammetry Photogrammetry is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant ima ...

is a modern way of visual inspection, delivering high accuracy and traceability for various industries. The portable 3D system is a versatile optical coordinate measuring machine (CMM) with a wide range of capabilities. Highly accurate point measurements can be taken with inspection carried out directly to CAD models, geometry or drawings.(DFI)

Fire equipment

Most fire equipment needs to be inspected to make sure in the event of a fire, every effort has been taken to make sure it doesn't get out of control. Extinguishers are to be inspected every month by law and inspected by a servicing company at least once a year. Fire extinguishers can be heavy, so it's a good idea to practice picking up and holding an extinguisher to get an idea of the weight and feel.

Business

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...

several destination countries require

pre-shipment inspection Pre-shipment inspection (also preshipment inspection or PSI) is a part of supply chain management and an important quality control method for checking the quality of goods clients buy from suppliers. PSI helps ensure that production complies with ...

. The importer instructs the shipper which inspection company should be used. The inspector makes pictures and a report to certify that the goods that are being shipped and produced are in accordance with the accompanying documents. Commodity inspection is other term that is used between buyers and sellers. The scope of work for commodity inspection depends to the buyers. Some buyers hire the inspection agencies only for pre-shipment inspections i.e. visual quality, quantity, packing, marking and loading inspections and some others request for higher level inspections and ask inspection agencies to attend in the vendor shops and inspect commodities during manufacturing processes. Normally inspection is done based on an agreed inspection and test plan (ITP).

Government

In government and politics, an ''inspection'' is the act of a monitoring authority administering an official review of various criteria (such as

document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" or ...

s, facilities, records, and any other assets) that are deemed by the authority to be related to the inspection. Inspections are used for the purpose of determining if a body is complying with regulations. The inspector examines the criteria and talks with involved individuals. A report and evaluation follows such visits. In the United States, the

Food Safety Inspection Service The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States' commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg prod ...

is charged with ensuring that all meat and egg products are safe to consume and accurately labeled. The

Meat Inspection Act The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is an American law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly r ...

of 1906 authorized the

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

to order meat inspections and condemn any found unfit for human consumption. The

United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) was created through the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284 of 17 December 1999 and its mission lasted until June 2007. UNMOVIC was meant to ...

is a regulatory body that inspects for

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...

. The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care regulates and inspects care services in Scotland. A labour inspectorate is a government body that executes checks on compliance to the

labour law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

. It performs inspections on the workplace or building site.

Road vehicles

vehicle inspection Vehicle inspection is a procedure mandated by national or subnational governments in many countries, in which a vehicle is inspected to ensure that it conforms to regulations governing Car safety, safety, Automobile emissions control#Emission Tes ...

, e.g., an annual inspection, is a necessary inspection required on vehicles to conform with laws regarding safety, emissions, or both. It consists of an examination of a vehicle's components, usually done by a certified mechanic. Vehicles pass a pre-warranty inspection, if, and only if, a mechanic provide evidence for the proper working condition of the vehicle systems specified in the type of inspection.

Engineering, mechanics

A mechanical inspection is usually undertaken to ensure the safety or reliability of structures or machinery. In Europe bodies involved in engineering inspection may be assessed by accreditation bodies according to ISO 17020 "General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection". This standard defines inspection as "examination of a product, process, service, or installation or their design and determination of its conformity with specific requirements or, on the basis of professional judgment, with general requirements". Non-destructive examination (NDE) or

nondestructive testing Nondestructive testing (NDT) is any of a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and technology industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. The terms nondestructive examination (NDE), n ...

(NDT) is a family of technologies used during inspection to analyze materials, components and products for either inherent defects (such as

fractures Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

or cracks), or service induced defects (damage from use). Some common methods are visual,

industrial computed tomography scanning Industrial computed tomography (CT) scanning is any computer-aided tomography, tomographic process, usually X-ray computed tomography, that uses irradiation to produce three-dimensional internal and external representations of a scanned object. In ...

microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...

dye penetrant inspection Dye penetrant inspection (DP), also called liquid penetrate inspection (LPI) or penetrant testing (PT), is a widely applied and low-cost inspection method used to check surface-breaking defects in all non-porous materials (metals, plastics, or cer ...

, magnetic-particle inspection,

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

radiographic testing Industrial radiography is a modality of non-destructive testing that uses ionizing radiation to inspect materials and components with the objective of locating and quantifying defects and degradation in material properties that would lead to the f ...

eddy-current testing Eddy-current testing (also commonly seen as eddy current testing and ECT) is one of many electromagnetic testing methods used in nondestructive testing (NDT) making use of electromagnetic induction to detect and characterize surface and sub-surfa ...

acoustic emission testing Acoustic emission (AE) is the phenomenon of radiation of acoustic (elastic) waves in solids that occurs when a material undergoes irreversible changes in its internal structure, for example as a result of crack formation or plastic deformation due t ...

, and

thermographic inspection Thermographic inspection refers to the nondestructive testing (NDT) of parts, materials or systems through the imaging of the temperature fields, gradients and/or patterns ("thermograms") at the object's surface. It is distinguished from Non-contac ...

. In addition, many non-destructive inspections can be performed by a precision scale, or when in motion, a

checkweigher A checkweigher is an automatic or manual machine for checking the weight of packaged commodities. It is normally found at the offgoing end of a production process and is used to ensure that the weight of a pack of the commodity is within specif ...

. Stereo microscopes are often used for examining small products like

circuit boards A printed circuit board (PCB; also printed wiring board or PWB) is a medium used in electrical and electronic engineering to connect electronic components to one another in a controlled manner. It takes the form of a laminated sandwich struc ...

for product defects. Inspection and technical assistance during turnarounds helps to decrease costly downtime as well as ensures restart of operations quickly and safely.

Medical

A medical inspection is the thorough and unhurried visualization of a patient, this requires the use of the naked eye.

Military

examination vessel An examination vessel is a vessel used to inspect ships and boats entering a port during wartime. An examination vessel would typically be responsible for examining and verifying all merchant ships and small craft entering or departing a port. T ...

is a craft used to inspect ships entering or leaving a port during wartime.

Railroad

The railroad's

inspection locomotive An inspection locomotive was a special type of steam locomotive designed to carry railroad officials on inspection tours of the railroad property. Background These were fitted with passenger car-like bodywork and seating. Many railroads in the n ...

were special types of

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s designed to carry railroad officials on inspection tours of the railroad property.

Real estate

A property condition assessment is the examination for purposes of evaluating a commercial or business property's condition often as a part of a

due diligence Due diligence is the investigation or exercise of care that a reasonable business or person is normally expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party or an act with a certain standard of care. It can be a l ...

investigation for a company to know what it is buying. Building code officials do a

building inspection A building inspection is an inspection performed by a building inspector, a person who is employed by either a city, township or county and is usually certified in one or more disciplines qualifying them to make professional judgment about whether ...

to determine code compliance in new or altered buildings before issuing a certificate of occupancy. Residential inspections not for code compliance are called a

home inspection A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. Home inspections are usually conducted by a home inspector who has the training and certifications to perform such ...

. There are numerous types of more specific real estate and infrastructure inspections such as

windstorm inspection A windstorm inspection, also referred to as a windstorm mitigation inspection, windstorm insurance inspection or wind mitigation inspection, is a kind of home inspection common in the coastal areas of the Southeastern United States. The purpose of ...

energy audit An energy audit is an inspection survey and an analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building. It may include a process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output. In com ...

, and

pipeline video inspection Pipeline video inspection is a form of telepresence used to visually inspect the interiors of pipelines, plumbing systems, and storm drains. A common application is for a plumber to determine the condition of small diameter sewer lines and househ ...

Software inspection

Software inspection Inspection in software engineering, refers to peer review of any work product by trained individuals who look for defects using a well defined process. An inspection might also be referred to as a Fagan inspection after Michael Fagan, the creator ...

, in

software programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as anal ...

, refers to peer review of any work product by skilled individuals who look for bugs using a defined test protocol.

References

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