Boiler Inspector Sits in Child-Sized Chair and Finishes Inspection Anyway

A boiler inspection in the Lower Quarter was completed yesterday despite an unexpected shortage of suitable chairs. The workshop owner had moved the normal chair to repair a broken leg. The only remaining seat was a child-sized wooden chair. The inspector declined to postpone official paperwork. He sat. His knees rose above the clipboard.

The workshop became very quiet. Nobody laughed. The small chair produced a faint creak every time the inspector leaned forward to write, and the workshop owner spent most of the inspection staring at the boiler with heroic concentration. The apprentice later claimed this was the quietest the workshop had ever been.

Not immediately. The inspector completed all forms, signed the boiler certificate and stood with considerable care. He then added one non-safety recommendation: “Provide chair.” The workshop passed inspection. A full-sized chair has since returned. The small chair now carries a handwritten label: “OFFICIAL USE ONLY.” The inspector has requested its removal.