Inspection Compliance

If there is a complaint about site or worker safety, OSHA will respond with either a call to the site or a visit. Employers must comply with both phone calls and site visits.

Lower priority hazards may only need a phone call, followed by OSHA sending information and the employer responding within five days. The response must include all identified problems and how these were (or plan to be) corrected.

More severe hazards may warrant a visit. Employers should remember the following about inspections:

• Employers have the right to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the work site.
• Employers must provide OSHA compliance officers with the names of authorized employee representatives who may be asked to accompany the compliance officer during an inspection.

OSHA provides a detailed OSHA Inspections Fact Sheet that explains the complaint and site visit processes. The Fact Sheet also details the appeals process for employers who are unsatisfied with the results of the site visit. OSHA also publishes a document titled Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following a Federal OSHA Inspection. Employers should consult this document to prepare themselves for a site visit from OSHA.

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