Our inspected samples were taken only from the top of the pallet. Is that enough?

Do not describe a convenient top-layer check as a random sample of the whole lot. Compare the actual selection with the agreed plan, record what was inaccessible, and have the quality owner decide how to obtain the missing coverage. Useful observations from the top layer can be retained without overstating them.

Compare the selection method with the agreed random sampling plan

Retrieve the sampling instruction before deciding that the existing results are enough or must be discarded. Identify the lot, the selection method, the required characteristics and the decision rule. Ask who chose the pieces and whether the planned selection could reach every eligible unit. The concern is the selection process, not merely the physical height of the inspected blades.

Write down what actually happened: pallet or carton references, positions opened, identifiers inspected and the reason other stock was inaccessible. If a documented selection selected those pieces in advance, preserve that evidence. If they were selected solely because they were easy to reach, state that limitation. The factory-acceptance guide explains broader acceptance planning; here the issue is whether the planned selection was followed.

Identify inaccessible containers or production groups left unrepresented

Map the shipment's packaging to the supplier's lot information. A pallet might contain one identified production group or several; do not infer that from the outer label alone. Record unopened containers and any production or revision groups that the top layer did not cover. Ask the supplier for the packing breakdown if receiving records cannot resolve it.

Arrange safe access using the site's handling procedure and appropriate personnel. Do not ask an inspector to pull heavy blades from an unstable stack merely to preserve a sampling schedule. Unpacking and restacking may need coordination, and the inspection plan should allow that work rather than treating inaccessible material as automatically represented.

Keep any visible damage observations associated with their locations. They may be important even if the original sample was unsuitable for the intended lot decision. Equally, clean top-layer pieces do not establish the condition of unopened packaging. Separate the physical observations from the statistical claim being considered.

Arrange appropriate representative selection rather than claiming the top layer proves the lot

Ask the quality authority whether to complete the original selection, restart under an approved approach or use another documented disposition. Do not invent a supplementary sample size or repeatedly inspect accessible pieces until enough passes accumulate. Explain how the earlier results are retained and how the subsequent selection relates to them.

For the carbide blade shipment, agree a packing and inspection-access arrangement before future deliveries when practical. That might mean providing a container map and coordinating access to the planned units; it does not mean asking the supplier to place specially chosen “inspection pieces” on top and call them representative.

Close the issue with a record of the final population, selected pieces, inspections and authorized decision. The earlier top-layer report should remain identifiable as a limited check. The objective is not more paperwork or automatic rejection of a shipment. It is a defensible explanation of which stock the evidence covers, how the selection was made and why the stated lot disposition follows the agreed plan.