Published 30 Nov 2022
What is a Quality Control Inspection?
A quality control inspection is an assessment of a product’s quality against predetermined specifications. Inspection in quality control identifies defects and other signs of non-conformance with the organization’s quality standards. Quality control inspectors also evaluate a variety of product-related factors, such as cleanliness, size, color, weight, material, operation, and packaging.
Quality Control Inspection Checklist
A quality control inspection checklist template is a digital record of product information, including the factors that determine conformance with set quality standards. Perform an effective quality control inspection using this checklist. It contains the following questions and more:
- Is the product free of dirt and dust?
- Is the product under-sized?
- Are the predominant colors acceptable?
- Is the product weight within acceptable tolerance?
- Is the material free of deformities?
- Does the product function as expected?
- Does the product fit securely into the packaging?
In this article
- Is Quality Control the Same as Inspection?
- What are the 4 Types of Quality Control?
- What is the Role of Quality Control Inspectors?
- What are the Common Steps in Quality Control Inspection?
- Free Customizable Inspection Forms
- Quality Control Inspection Forms
Is Quality Control the Same as Inspection?
Quality control is not the same as inspection. Rather, inspection is part of quality control, such is the case with Quality Control (QC) inspections. Aside from inspection, quality control procedures and quality audits help develop the quality control of an organization as a whole. Solely relying on inspection for QC or equating QC with inspection can lead to neglect in other areas of quality control.
What are the 4 Types of Quality Control?
While there are different approaches to the types of quality control, the majority of publicly available sources focus on the types of quality inspections, which are process, product, 100% mode, during production, pre-production, container loading, and pre-shipment. However, with this approach, there are more than 4 types of quality control.
Here are the proposed 4 types of quality control, which emphasize that QC covers several parts and/or aspects of an organization’s production workflow:
- Compliance-based quality control – complying with industry standards like ISO 9001
- Output-based quality control – adhering to the six sigma or zero defects philosophy
- Organization-based quality control – shaping QC according to quality objectives and improving QC by implementing changes to the organization’s structure, culture, or standard procedures
- Data-driven quality control – using inspection data to identify areas of production that consistently fail QC checks
What is the Role of Quality Control Inspectors?
The role of quality control inspectors is to accept or reject products based on QC inspection test results, which usually include recommendations for the quality auditor. Quality control inspectors also monitor the production workflows of their respective organizations and check if there are any errors in processes and equipment that could potentially cause product deviations. Their main goal is to isolate and remove defective, low-quality, or unsafe products.
What are the Common Steps in Quality Control Inspection?
The common steps in quality control inspection are the following:
- Identify the product to be inspected and record its ID, Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), serial, or item reference number.
- List the processes involved in making the product; the locations of the product, its materials, or equipment used to manufacture it; and the teams involved and what they were responsible for.
- Determine the inspection type, sampling standard, plan, and/or level.
- Evaluate the product’s visual appearance.
- Check measurements/dimensions.
- Compare product characteristics with design specifications.
- Identify and describe any defects and form corrective actions for them.
- Apply on-site tests and provide your assessment on the results.
- Inspect the product’s packaging.
- State if the product passes or fails the inspection and provide recommendations to the quality auditor or Quality Assurance (QA) team.
Free Customizable Inspection Forms
SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) provides free customizable inspection forms that you can print as PDF or use in the SafetyCulture quality control app, which is available on both iOS and Android. Using a quality control inspection checklist in SafetyCulture has the following benefits:
- Edit, remove, or add questions, sections, and pages
- Capture and attach photos and e-signatures
- Generate a digital and PDF report automatically
Check out our featured quality control inspection forms or get started with SafetyCulture for free.
Quality Control Inspection Forms
Quality Control Inspection Form
Use this quality control inspection form to verify the quality of processes and materials used in the production of a first article (can either be a product, component, or assembly). Identify multiple design characteristics and evaluate the product’s conformance to their requirements.
Quality Control Inspection Template
Use this quality control inspection template to perform product validation procedures such as testing and packaging evaluations. Create corrective actions based on assessments and check if their implementation resulted in reduced deviation. Form a cohesive quality control plan that covers the following:
- Pre-Planning
- Planning and Project Definition
- Product Design and Development
- Process Design and Development
- Product and Process Validation
- Launch and Continuous Improvement
This template can be used as a pharmaceutical quality control inspection checklist since it is based on the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) method.
More Quality Control Inspection Checklists
Customize these QC inspection checklists or view more related checklists
