Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
“Making Inspections Fun Again”
Since the spring of 2002, Putnam and
two colleagues have been piloting the new method. He explains
that the learning curve was almost non-existent, even for
computer novices. “One inspector had no previous experience
with a computer keyboard, or even a typewriter, yet he was
able to pick it up right away. He says that having all the
information in his hand makes doing inspections fun again.
He hated carrying around folders and shuffling paper records.”
An electronic inspection begins by selecting
New Inspection from a drop-down list (a re-inspection could
also be specified). Then the inspector taps in basic details
such as business name, address, phone number, building owner,
owner’s address and after-hours contact person. For
future inspections, all this information will be stored
on the handheld and simply needs to be confirmed rather
than reentered.
Screens for Capturing Basic Information
about the Inspection Site
The inspector then taps through various
fields to record basic information about the business, such
as whether it has a sprinkler system, an alarm system, a
basement and so forth. Depending on the answers, pop-up
windows may open to specify additional details. For example,
if YES is tapped to indicate a sprinkler system, a window
opens to specify if it is wet or dry. Other prompts appear
based on business specific criteria, such as the hood system
in the kitchen if the type of business specified is a restaurant.
After entering the preliminary information,
the inspector walks around the business checking for violations
to fire safety codes and local ordinances, recording the
condition of safety-related items such as sprinkler systems,
extinguishers, signs and emergency lights. The bottom of
the screen contains five Notes fields, corresponding to
the first inspection, three possible re-inspections and
one for any comments. If there are no violations, the inspector
types “All Okay” in the first field. If violations
are found, he types the details as well as a re-inspection
date. The inspector then goes to the next business and repeats
the process.
Screens for Recording Inspection
Details and Violations
The business owner or landlord is given
30 days to correct any violations. During a re-inspection,
all information from the first inspection is already on
record; the inspector simply refers to the violation details
and verifies that they have been corrected. If everything
is in order, he types “All Okay” in the Second
Inspection notes field and taps the date field to record
the date. He then thanks the owner for his cooperation and
says farewell until next year.
Previous Page
Next Page