المملكة: No violation before awareness.. New controls legitimize “remote inspection” and protect facilities

Subtract The National Center for Inspection and oversight of the “National Framework for Inspections” policy through the polling platform, thus establishing a new phase of unified and binding oversight work for all government agencies.

The new policy aims to end individual judgments in Inspection, by establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework that applies to all regulatory bodies authorized to inspect or supervise, to cover all supervisory work in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.

The policy requires regulatory bodies to abandon traditional methods and move towards a professional methodology consisting of four strict stages that begin with risk-based planning, through preparation and implementation, all the way to the post-inspection stage and case closure.

The new framework obligates government agencies By adopting the principle of “awareness and compliance first,” which places on it the responsibility of educating establishments and guiding them to the regulatory requirements before starting to impose penalties, so that the inspection is directed towards results and not formal procedures.

Organizing inspection

The new policy categorically prohibits turning inspection visits into an arena for discussion about fines or penalties while on site, as it limits the role of the inspector to monitoring professional facts and gathering evidence without entering into controversy with the establishment.

According to this Controls: Regulatory bodies must build their annual plans based on a “risk-based approach,” which ensures that human and logistical resources are directed toward the facilities most in need of oversight or the most dangerous, instead of random inspection.

The policy establishes the principle of “consistency and predictability,” which ensures facilities are subject to fair and consistent inspections, while obliging entities to clearly publish their expectations and requirements, and document any deviation from systematic procedures with clear and transparent justifications.

To ensure the integrity of inspectors, the national framework stressed the principle of neutrality, obliging them to make decisions based exclusively on objective evidence, away from any conflict of interest or external influences that might affect the professionalism of oversight work.

Remote inspection

In a regulatory precedent, the policy set precise standards for “remote inspection,” considering it an official method parallel to field inspection, provided that the same standards of documentation and quality of evidence are adhered to. And strict verification of identities and digital documents.

The policy gives facilities additional protection by regulating the entry mechanism, whereby the inspector is obligated to show his official identity and powers upon arrival, while respecting the facility’s operational processes and minimizing any disruption to its work.

The policy also obligates the regulatory authorities not to conduct surprise visits except in specific cases that call for it, such as the presence of risks to public safety or reliable reports, while the principle is to notify the facility of the inspection sufficiently in advance.

/>With regard to the post-inspection phase, the policy required documenting the results with complete transparency and informing the establishments of them, while giving them the opportunity to submit observations or corrective plans before moving on to enforcement procedures or officially closing the file.

Highlighting positive practices

This policy is considered a “lifeline” for compliant establishments, as controls encourage the establishments to highlight positive practices, and provide cognitive support and continuous guidance to ensure sustainability of compliance with the regulations.

The policy strengthened evidence governance, imposing Regulatory authorities must collect and preserve data in a systematic manner that protects the privacy of establishments and guarantees their right to object or grievance based on proven and traceable facts.

This step comes to unify the regulatory language in the Kingdom and ensure that the business environment is governed by clear controls that reduce unjustified operational burdens and increase the efficiency and reliability of government performance in the inspection sector.

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