As a fire and life safety contractor, you’re well aware that not all inspection forms are created equal. You know you need well-designed forms to ensure compliant, accurate, and efficient inspections. But what makes an inspection form well-designed? In this article, we’ll lay out the 6 must-have inspection form elements you should look for to take your inspections to a new level of accuracy and efficiency.

What makes a well-designed inspection form? Look for these features.

These 6 key inspection form elements will enable your technicians to perform inspections with more efficiency and accuracy, improving compliance and preventing incomplete work that requires additional trips back to a facility. 

1. Pre-filled fields for efficiency

Well-designed inspection forms give technicians shortcuts by auto-filling basic information so they only have to enter new data.

2. Required fields to ensure completion and compliance

Inspection forms should include required information fields and the ability to alert technicians when they’ve missed answering required inspection questions.

3. Up-to-date NFPA code requirements

When inspection forms are developed with guidance from NFPA code experts, the forms include information designed to meet NFPA code requirements for each fire and life safety category. .

4. Ability to attach media

Techs often take digital photos during inspections to highlight or explain their findings – particularly when an inspection deficiency comes to light. Effective digital inspection forms will allow techs to take attach photos, videos, and audio notes to the inspection form. These supporting files ultimately make their way into the inspection report – and can be used to prove work was completed and prove the existence of inspection deficiencies.

5. Embedded NFPA code references

Both experienced and novice inspectors benefit from having NFPA code references embedded into inspection forms – so they don’t have to research a specific NFPA code. 

6. Fast, easy report generation

Well-design inspection forms and inspection systems should be able to automatically create branded, professional inspection reports. Inspection reports and work acknowledgments that are easy to generate and transmit to key stakeholders (customers and authorities such as AHJ & EPA) help prove that the inspection work was completed and also prove compliance.

Learn more about ServiceTrade’s fire inspection software here.