State Plan · Cal/OSHA

California Safety Training and OSHA Tailgate Talks

California runs its own State Plan, Cal/OSHA, for private employers and state and local government. Enforcement records show 40,638 inspections at private worksites in California opened from October 2020 to September 2026, with 67,079 citations.

Private employers
Cal/OSHA
State Plan
State and local government
Cal/OSHA
Same State Plan
Private-sector inspections
40,638
Oct 2020 – September 2026
Trades ranked on California data
211 of 262
The other 51 get the yearly and seasonal topics

Which safety rules apply in California

California runs its own OSHA-approved State Plan, Cal/OSHA, under the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health. It covers private employers and state and local government in California.

Cal/OSHA writes and cites its own codified standards, Title 8 CCR.

Some work stays under federal OSHA even inside a State Plan state: maritime work (shipyards, marine terminals, longshoring), most federal enclaves and military bases, tribal land and U.S. Postal Service operations.

What gets cited in California, and what hurts people

Counts from U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement records: inspections at private worksites in California opened from October 2020 to September 2026. Rankings and schedule data as of September 23, 2026.

The industry that stands out most is Agriculture: 10% of California’s citations, 3.1 times its share across all states.

Hazards cited most at private worksites in California

  1. Injury & Illness Prevention Program12,645 citations
  2. Heat illness prevention6,243 citations
  3. Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping4,482 citations
  4. Electrical safety4,022 citations
  5. Machine guarding3,118 citations
  6. Forklifts & powered industrial trucks2,788 citations

96% of the 67,079 citations are under a standard the ranking can group by hazard.

Where California’s citations fall, by industry

  1. Construction22% · about 12,963
  2. Manufacturing12% · about 6,909
  3. Food Service & Hospitality10% · about 5,971 · 2.5×
  4. Agriculture10% · about 5,640 · 3.1×
  5. Residential & Commercial Services6% · about 3,699
  6. Warehousing & Distribution5% · about 2,740 · 1.2×

By industry code; a code that fits two industries is split evenly. “×”: share here against the share across all states.

How the schedule ranks trades for California

California’s schedule uses a ranking built from California’s own citations: Cal/OSHA and federal inspections at California workplaces since January 2021. Of the 262 trades, 122 rest on 150 or more citations and 89 on a smaller sample, whose plans say to treat the order as a starting point. The other 51 (48 with some California citations, 3 with none yet) get the yearly and seasonal topics, including California’s state-specific rules, in place of a hazard ranking.

Trades with the most citations in California

The most-cited trades in California’s plan data, one per industry, with the hazards the app schedules for each. Trades whose industry code mostly belongs to another trade are left out.

Construction

General Construction

The Construction trade with the most citations in California’s plan data: about 2,667 since January 2021.

Top hazards in the schedule

  1. 1. Fall protection & working at heights

    #1 for General Construction in California: about 222 citations, about 8 deaths, about 7 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  2. 2. Ladder safety

    #2 for General Construction in California: about 144 citations, about 2 deaths, about 2 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  3. 3. Excavation & trenching

    #3 for General Construction in California: about 217 citations (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

Food Service & Hospitality

Hotel & Lodging

The Food Service & Hospitality trade with the most citations in California’s plan data: about 1,926 since January 2021.

Top hazards in the schedule

  1. 1. Electrical safety

    #1 for Hotel & Lodging in California: about 347 citations, about 1 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  2. 2. Chemical exposure, ventilation & eyewash

    #2 for Hotel & Lodging in California: about 161 citations, about 1 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  3. 3. Machine guarding

    #3 for Hotel & Lodging in California: about 27 citations, about 2 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

Residential & Commercial Services

Residential Roofing Repair

The Residential & Commercial Services trade with the most citations in California’s plan data: about 1,824 since January 2021.

Top hazards in the schedule

  1. 1. Fall protection & working at heights

    #1 for Residential Roofing Repair in California: about 387 citations, about 21 deaths, about 20 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  2. 2. Ladder safety

    #2 for Residential Roofing Repair in California: about 184 citations, about 2 deaths, about 2 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  3. 3. First aid & emergency medical response

    #3 for Residential Roofing Repair in California: about 162 citations (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

Agriculture

Crop Production - Orchard & Vineyard

The Agriculture trade with the most citations in California’s plan data: about 1,173 since January 2021.

Top hazards in the schedule

  1. 1. Field sanitation, water & washing

    #1 for Crop Production - Orchard & Vineyard in California: about 245 citations (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  2. 2. Tractors & agricultural equipment

    #2 for Crop Production - Orchard & Vineyard in California: about 43 citations, about 6 deaths, about 5 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

  3. 3. Mobile equipment, haulage & jobsite vehicles

    #3 for Crop Production - Orchard & Vineyard in California: about 2 citations, about 5 deaths, about 2 hospitalized (2021–26, recent years weigh more)

Seasonal and yearly topics in the California schedule

California has rules federal OSHA doesn’t: a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program, heat illness prevention, wildfire smoke protection and, for most employers, workplace violence prevention training (SB 553). The schedule places each of them.

In season

  • Heat illness prevention

    In season May 1 – Sep 30 · T8 §3395

    Placed for 238 of 262 trades

  • Wildfire smoke protection

    In season Jul 1 – Oct 31 · T8 §5141.1

    Placed for 188 of 262 trades

  • Cold & wet weather work

    In season Nov 1 – Feb 28

    Placed for 188 of 262 trades

Once a year

  • Injury & Illness Prevention Program

    Placed once a year by policy: covers T8 §3203

  • Reporting serious injuries & recordkeeping

    Placed once a year by policy: reporting duties under T8 §342 and recordkeeping

  • Hazard Communication (GHS labels & SDS)

    Placed once a year by policy: covers T8 §5194

  • Emergency action & fire prevention

    Placed once a year by policy: covers T8 §3220

  • Workplace violence prevention (SB 553)

    Annual training required for most California employers (CA Lab. Code §6401.9, SB 553)

    Placed for 248 of 262 trades

  • Violence prevention in health care

    Annual refresher training required in health care (T8 §3342)

    Placed for 14 trades

How the schedule is built, not legal advice. Check the rules for your worksites with Cal/OSHA.

How My Safety Solution works in California

  • When you set up your company, you pick California. The app then applies Cal/OSHA and builds your tailgate talk schedule from the ranking built from California’s own citations.
  • Each talk references the regulations it’s built on, from Cal/OSHA (Title 8) and federal OSHA (29 CFR).
  • Keep your Cal/OSHA Form 300 log, 300A summary and 301 incident reports in the app, built around Title 8 §§ 14300–14300.48, with reminders that a serious injury, illness or death goes to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours. Guidance, not legal advice.
  • Help with a written program or a Cal/OSHA citation: consulting, as advice and guidance, requested from your account. Our team’s credentials include CHST, OSHA 500, OSHA 10 & 30.

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