Cal/OSHA’s inspection program targets workplaces with a likelihood of health and safety hazards and/or standards violations. Due to constitutional limitations on government searches and seizures, the agency must have reasonable cause to conduct an inspection. However, courts have granted Cal/OSHA broad discretion in determining reasonable cause.

Cal/OSHA inspects a workplace when:

An employer reports a fatality or serious injury or illness;
An employee complains;
Issuing a permit requires a follow-up inspection;
Cal/OSHA’s general administrative plan calls for inspections for a certain type of employer;
An industry has been selected as part of the Targeted Inspection and Consultation Program (TICP); or
A Cal/OSHA inspector sees a violation from a location that’s readily available to the general public or a casual observer.

The Targeted Inspection and Consultation Program (TICP), is a Cal/OSHA program that identifies certain high hazard employers and requires them to pay a fee to fund a special inspection unit.

The targeted group shifts periodically based on injury and illness statistics for that industrial classification.

Cal/OSHA must conduct an investigation within three days of receiving notification from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) of an employee's exposure to lead. The CDPH collects data on toxic materials and harmful agents used in places of employment, including information about lead exposure. CDPH must, upon receiving a report of an employee's blood lead level at or above 20 micrograms per deciliter, to report it to Cal/OSHA for investigation.

Cal/OSHA Requirements and Inspections

When Does Cal/OSHA Perform an Inspection?

Cal/OSHA Requirements and Inspections