Cal/OSHA FAQs

The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), also known as Cal/OSHA, enforces California's state OSHA plan. It sets and enforces standards designed to improve the health and safety of California workers. Cal/OSHA also issues permits, licenses, certifications, registrations and approvals to California workplaces.

Cal/OSHA is commonly used to describe the California Occupational Safety and Health Program and the agency that enforces it. The official name of the agency is the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as DOSH.

To file a complaint about a hazard in your workplace, you can call or email the Cal/OSHA district office that serves the location of your jobsite. The California Department of Industrial Relations asks that you gather as much information as possible before you submit your complaint. If you do submit a complaint, your name must be kept confidential unless you request otherwise.

Almost every workplace in California falls under Cal/OSHA jurisdiction. Cal/OSHA is authorized to inspect nearly all workplaces for occupational safety and health violations.

Some exclusions include U.S. government employees, Postal Service employees and private sector employees within the borders of U.S. military installations and national parks. Visit the California Department of Industrial Relations website or call (510) 286-7348 for more information regarding Cal/OSHA jurisdiction.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, Cal/OSHA does not cite or fine workers for violations.

Cal/OSHA standards are found in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, which is enforced by the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. You can browse or search Cal/OSHA regulations online.

Cal/OSHA requires every California employer to have an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP).

IIPPs should include plans for accident and illness prevention, means for encouraging employees to report unsafe working conditions and plans to allocate company resources toward controlling hazards and purchasing personal protective equipment.

An effective IIPP ensures that employees are provided a safe and healthful workplace. For more information on developing your workplace's IIPP, consult the Cal/OSHA IIPP guide.

Cal/OSHA has implemented COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) to protect workers from the infectious disease.

For the most up-to-date information on Cal/OSHA's COVID-19 standards, consult the Cal/OSHA website.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, almost every workplace in California falls under Cal/OSHA's jurisdiction, including state and local government. Cal/OSHA requires all employees to complete job-specific training to prevent workplace accidents and injuries.

» Learn more about Cal/OSHA training requirements

Each module in the Cal/OSHA course ends with a five-question quiz. You must score at least 80% to pass each quiz and advance to the next section. You can continue to take each quiz until you pass.

Once you have completed all course modules, you will be prompted to take a 20-question final exam. You will need to earn a 70% or higher to pass the final exam. You have an unlimited number of attempts to pass.

Immediately after you pass the final exam, you can download your Cal/OSHA certificate. You can print the certificate and provide it to your employer to prove you completed your training.

The Cal/OSHA online training course takes three hours to complete. OSHA Outreach training will take an additional 10 or 30 hours to complete, depending on which course you choose.

According to federal OSHA guidelines, students can spend no more than 7.5 hours per day in OSHA Outreach training. Therefore, it will take at least two days to complete 10-hour OSHA training and at least four days to complete 30-hour OSHA training.

The Cal/OSHA training course expires 90 days from registration, and you have 180 days to complete the OSHA Outreach portion of your training. If you need to know how many days you have left to complete your training, you can find this information on the course dashboard.

The OSHA Outreach Training Program teaches workers how to identify and avoid common safety and health risks in the workplace. It also explains employer responsibilities and workers' rights under OSHA. This training is available in industry-specific versions for construction and general industry.

The 10-hour courses are designed for entry-level workers, and 30-hour courses are designed for supervisors and workers with safety roles or responsibilities.

Each course module ends with a brief quiz. To continue to the next section, you need to score at least 70% on the quiz. You have up to three attempts to pass each quiz.

After you complete all course modules, you're required to take a 20-question final exam. You must earn a passing score of 70% or higher.

If you do not pass any given quiz in three tries, you will be locked out of the course. You will need to repurchase the course and start over.

You have up to three tries to pass the final exam. If you don't pass the exam on your third attempt, you will need to repurchase the course and start from the beginning.

Federal OSHA regulations state that students can spend no more than 7.5 hours per day in OSHA Outreach training. This means it will take you at least two days to complete 10-hour OSHA training and at least four days to complete 30-hour OSHA training.

Once you have successfully completed OSHA-authorized Outreach training, you can instantly download and print your certificate of completion. You can provide it to your employer as proof of training completion while you wait for your OSHA card to be delivered.

Your official OSHA card from the U.S. Department of Labor will arrive in the mail, typically six to eight weeks after course completion.

No. OSHA cards issued upon completion of our construction and general industry OSHA Outreach courses never expire. However, your employer may require you to retake the course periodically, such as every three to five years. Your course graduation date will be printed on your OSHA card.

Yes, this course uses security questions to validate your identity throughout your training. Prior to starting the course, you will need to answer a series of questions about yourself.

At the beginning of each course module, one of the questions you previously answered will appear on your screen. You will have 90 seconds to answer the question correctly.

If you answer more than four security questions incorrectly, you will be locked out of the course. To resume your training, you will need to contact our support team.