Guidance on area inspections, from September 2010

"This guidance explains how inspectors will apply Estyn’s Common Inspection Framework to area inspections. The guidance is in two parts. The first part on carrying out inspections applies to all area inspections. The second part on making judgements is for area inspections that are concerned with Learning Pathways 14-19 in a single local authority area." - Introduction

Harnessing enforcement leverage at the border to minimize biological risk from international live species trade

Allocating inspection resources over a diverse set of imports to prevent entry of plant pests and pathogens presents a substantial policy design challenge. We model inspections of live plant imports and producer responses to inspections using a “state-dependent” monitoring and enforcement model. We capture exporter abatement response to a set of feasible inspection policies from the regulator. Conditional on this behavioral response, we solve the regulator’s problem of selecting the parameters for the state-dependent monitoring regime to minimize entry of infested shipments. We account for exporter heterogeneity, fixed penalties for noncompliance, imperfect abatement control and imperfect inspections at the border. Overall, we estimate that state-dependent targeting (based on historical interceptions) cuts the rate of infested shipments that are accepted by one-fifth, relative to uniformly allocated inspections

Conducting inspections of secure training centres: guidance for the inspections of secure training centres

This guidance is designed to assist inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and the Care Quality Commission when conducting inspections of secure training centres. It should be read in conjunction with Inspections of secure training centres: framework for inspection and Inspections of secure training centres: evaluation schedule and grade descriptors. - Age: 12-1

Monitoring inspections of schools whose overall effectiveness is satisfactory : guidance for inspecting schools whose overall effectiveness is satisfactory under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

"This guidance sets out the judgements that inspectors make and report on during monitoring inspections of satisfactory schools. Schools can use the guidance to see how inspections will be conducted and judgements made. They may find it helpful when evaluating their own performance" -- front cover

The framework for children's centre inspection

"The framework for children’s centre inspection shows how the general principles and processes are applied to these inspections in England. It sets out the statutory basis for inspection and summarises the main features of children’s centre inspections from September 2011" -- front cover

Estyn arrangements for assuring the quality of contracted out inspections : policies and procedures

"This document represents Estyn’s policy and procedures for assuring the quality of contracted out inspections. The quality assurance policy and procedures outlined in sections 1 to 3 of this document and summarised in appendix 1 apply to all inspectors involved on contracted inspections" -- inside front cover

Audits and inspections are never enough: a critique to enhance food safety

Internal and external food safety audits are conducted to assess the safety and quality of food including on-farm production, manufacturing practices, sanitation, and hygiene. Some auditors are direct stakeholders that are employed by food establishments to conduct internal audits, while other auditors may represent the interests of a second party purchaser or a third-party auditing agency. Some buyers conduct their own audits or additional testing, while some buyers trust the results of third-party audits or inspections. Third-party auditors, however, use various food safety audit standards and most do not have a vested interest in the products being sold. Audits are conducted under a proprietary standard, while food safety inspections are generally conducted within a legal framework. There have been many foodborne illness outbreaks linked to food processors that have passed third-party audits and inspections, raising questions about the utility of both. Supporters argue third-party audits are a way to ensure food safety in an era of dwindling economic resources. Critics contend that while external audits and inspections can be a valuable tool to help ensure safe food, such activities represent only a snapshot in time. This paper identifies limitations of food safety inspections and audits and provides recommendations for strengthening the system, based on developing a strong food safety culture, including risk-based verification steps, throughout the food safety system

A Behavioral Approach to Compliance: OSHA Enforcement's Impact on Workplace Accidents

This study test for effects of OSHA enforcement, using data on injuries and OSHA inspections for 6,842 manufacturing plants between 1979 and 1985. We use measures of general deterrence (expected inspections at plants like this one) and specific deterrence (actual inspections at this plant). Both measures of deterrence are found to affect accidents, with a 10% increase in inspections with penalties predicted to reduce accidents by 2%. The existence of specific deterrence effects, the importance of lagged effects, the asymmetrical effects of probability and amount of penalty on accidents, and the tendency of injury rates to self-correct over a few years support a behavioral model of the firm's response to enforcement rather than the traditional expected penalty' model of deterrence theory.