[SoftTalker]

Inspectors aren't wise to this? They see everything done right except for this one obvious flaw? Or they see the glaring flaw immediately and they stop looking at the rest of the work? Imagining myself as an inspector, if I see something simple that is clearly done wrong, I am now going to go over the whole job with a fine-tooth comb.

So this sounds like "urban legend" to me, but maybe there is a grain of truth in it?

[seabird]

If you get the book thrown at you, you will lose without exception.

It's real, and inspectors are wise to it, but I guess the subtle acknowledgement that perfection is impossible goes a long way. A lot of "lower risk" inspections are very old-timey/human. You won't get away with it in an aerospace inspection, but somebody looking over the job site or kitchen is playing by different rules.

[qup]

My health inspector (restaurant) says she can't really turn in perfect reports. Her boss says "nobody is perfect"

So she tries to find something very minor, like an unlabeled item, to put on our report, if things are otherwise good.

Same with the fire department. They ignore obvious violations and nitpick small ones, and then never follow up to make sure a change was made.

[chasd00]

> if I see something simple that is clearly done wrong, I am now going to go over the whole job with a fine-tooth comb.

not if you have a mountain of work to do and hate your low paid thankless job.

[ben_w]

I'm thinking of rock stars and candy; stuff like this, even when deliberate, is proof that some attention was given:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brown-out/

[sidewndr46]

I do not think you would make it very long as a government employee with that kind of attitude