How to Report an OSHA Violation in California

To report an OSHA violation in California, contact the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) by phone at 833-579-0927, through the online complaint form at dir.ca.gov/dosh/Complaint.htm, or by fax or mail to the district office that covers the workplace.¹ Once Cal/OSHA receives a complaint alleging a serious violation, it must begin investigating within three working days.² You have the legal right to report hazards without being punished for it.³

Ways to File a Cal/OSHA Complaint

Four channels are open. You can call the statewide complaint line, submit the online form, or fax or mail your complaint to the district office covering the worksite. Cal/OSHA maintains a zip code search tool at dir.ca.gov/asp/DoshzipSearch.html that identifies the right local office and its contact details.¹

There is no deadline for reporting an active hazard. As long as the dangerous condition exists, Cal/OSHA can investigate.

How you file changes how the agency responds. A signed complaint carries more investigative weight than an anonymous tip because it tells Cal/OSHA that a worker is willing to stand behind the allegation. Signed complaints about serious hazards trigger mandatory on-site inspections. Anonymous complaints may be handled by phone or letter to the employer.

You can also ask that your identity stay confidential during the investigation. Cal/OSHA will not reveal your name to your employer without your permission, even on a signed complaint.

What to Include in the Complaint

Specifics decide how fast the agency can act. Start with the employer’s legal business name and the physical address of the worksite. Pin down the location inside the facility too — the department, the floor, the workstation — so an inspector isn’t searching the building for the problem.

Describe the hazard in concrete terms. “The forklift’s brakes fail intermittently” tells an inspector where to look. “Equipment is unsafe” doesn’t. Useful details include:

What the hazard is: malfunctioning equipment, chemical exposure, missing guardrails, blocked exits, or similar conditions
When it occurs: specific shifts, times of day, or whether it is constant
How many workers are exposed: a single operator, a crew, or the whole building
Whether injuries or near-misses have already happened
Whether personal protective equipment is provided and whether workers have been trained to use it

If you know which supervisors or managers are aware of the problem, name them. Cal/OSHA uses that information to decide whether the employer knowingly allowed the hazard to persist, which affects the severity of any citations. Writing everything down before you call or log in produces a stronger complaint.

What Happens After You File

Cal/OSHA sorts complaints by severity and applies different deadlines. For a complaint alleging a serious violation — one that could cause death or substantial physical harm — the agency must begin investigating within three working days. For nonserious violations, the window is 14 calendar days. When a prosecutor or law enforcement agency reports a serious violation, Cal/OSHA has 24 hours to respond.²

Not every complaint brings an inspector to the door. For lower-severity hazards, Cal/OSHA may run a phone or fax investigation: contacting the employer, describing the alleged hazard, and demanding a written response explaining what corrective steps were taken. If the response is inadequate, or if the original complaint is serious enough, an inspector is sent.

When an inspection does happen, inspectors can interview employees privately, away from supervisors. This is where the details in your complaint get verified. The inspector asks workers to describe conditions, training they have received, and incidents they have witnessed. Employers must make injury and illness logs, written safety programs, and training records available.⁴

After the investigation closes, Cal/OSHA notifies the original complainant in writing about whether citations were issued or the case was closed.

Protection From Retaliation

California law makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, cut pay, reduce hours, or otherwise punish a worker for reporting safety concerns. The protection covers complaints made to Cal/OSHA, to other government agencies, and directly to the employer. It also covers workers who serve on workplace safety committees or testify in occupational health proceedings.³

If your employer retaliates, file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner’s Office (the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement).⁵ You have one year from the date of the retaliatory action to file.⁶ If the Labor Commissioner finds the claim valid, you are entitled to reinstatement to your former position and reimbursement for lost wages and benefits.³

You also have the right to refuse work that would violate a safety standard and create a real and apparent hazard to you or your coworkers. An employer cannot lay you off or fire you for that refusal.⁷

Reporting Hazards on Multiemployer Worksites

Construction sites and other workplaces with multiple employers raise a common question: which employer do you name? California law lets Cal/OSHA cite any of four categories of employers on a multiemployer site — the employer whose workers were exposed to the hazard, the employer who created it, the employer contractually responsible for safety on the site, and the employer responsible for correcting the condition.⁸ Creating, controlling, and correcting employers can be cited even when none of their own workers were exposed.

If you are unsure which employer to name, describe the hazard and its location. Cal/OSHA inspectors can sort out responsibility once they are on-site. Uncertainty about corporate structure is not a reason to hold back a complaint.

If a Citation Is Issued

When Cal/OSHA issues citations, the employer has 15 working days to appeal. Missing that window makes the citation final and the penalties due. The written notice Cal/OSHA sends you after the investigation tells you whether citations were issued, which is the point at which you know your complaint produced action on the record.

1
Department of Industrial Relations. Contact Cal/OSHA
2
California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 6309 – Investigation of Employment or Place of Employment
3
California Legislative Information. California Code LAB 6310
4
Department of Industrial Relations. What to Expect from a Cal/OSHA Inspection
5
Department of Industrial Relations. Retaliation and Discrimination Complaints
6
Department of Industrial Relations. Laws That Prohibit Retaliation and Discrimination
7
California Legislative Information. California Code Labor Code 6311 – Refusal to Perform Work in Violation of Safety Standards
8
California Legislative Information. California Code LAB 6400