What an inspector asks for, in the order they ask
Short answer. The requests come in a predictable order: the written program, then the training records for whoever was involved, then proof of what was current on the date in question. Most small shops can answer the first two and fail the third.
The order is predictable
People imagine an inspection as a wide sweep. It is usually narrow and sequential, and it narrows fastest when the visit followed a specific event.
First: does the written thing exist
The written safety program, the injury log, the procedure covering whatever prompted the visit. Nearly every shop passes this, because the paperwork exists somewhere and can be found.
Second: was this person trained on it
Now it narrows to individuals. Not "do you train people" but "show me the record for this technician on this topic." Shops with a training matrix pass. Shops relying on memory start looking through email.
Third: what was current on the day
This is where it usually falls apart. The question is not what your procedure says today, it is what it said on the date of the incident, and whether the person had acknowledged that version.
A shared folder cannot answer this, because files get edited in place. A binder cannot answer it, because pages get replaced. Both can only produce today's version, and today's version is not evidence about a date eighteen months ago.
Why the third question is fair
It seems like a technicality until you invert it. If a procedure could be edited after an incident and the old signatures silently carried over to the new text, then every training record in every company would be worthless. The question exists precisely because the alternative is a system anyone could game.
What answering it requires
Three properties, all boring.
- Every edit creates a new numbered version and the old text survives.
- Each acknowledgement points at a version, not at a title.
- The record cannot be altered afterwards, including by the owner.
With those, the third question takes seconds. Without them, it takes weeks and the answer is a shrug.
The uncomfortable part
Shops that start recording acknowledgements properly usually discover in the first fortnight that a good portion of the crew has never read the procedures. Not refused, just never got to them.
That is unpleasant information and it is the entire point. You would rather find it out on a Tuesday in September than in a deposition.
Keep the record, not just the paperwork
Everything on this page is free to copy. What Intulix sells is the part underneath: a signed, dated, version locked record of which technician read which version, exportable when someone asks. Start free or see pricing.
Common questions
What documents does an inspector ask for first?
Typically the written safety program and any injury logs, then the training documentation tied to whatever hazard prompted the visit. If the visit followed a specific incident, the request narrows quickly to the people and the procedure involved.
What happens if a required record cannot be produced?
The training may be treated as not performed. A documentation gap can be treated the same way as an uncorrected physical hazard, which is why the record matters as much as the training itself.