How should inventory discrepancies be handled?

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Handling inventory discrepancies requires a structured, accountable approach that preserves safety and accuracy. The right course is to investigate the discrepancy to determine what happened, then document all findings and report them to the supervisor. This means rechecking the counts, reviewing related documents (receiving, issuing, transfers), verifying lot/serial numbers and locations, and looking for data-entry errors or process gaps. After the investigation, document the details in a discrepancy log with what item, what quantity difference, where it occurred, when, who was involved, and any supporting records. Then involve the supervisor so the issue can be reviewed and any corrective actions approved. Finally, adjust the records only through approved procedures to ensure the physical inventory and the system data align, maintaining an auditable trail.

This approach keeps the inventory accurate, supports accountability, and complies with safety and regulatory requirements. Bypassing controls, ignoring the discrepancy, disposing of items, or hiding the issue would undermine safety, conceal losses, and violate established procedures.