State enforcement profile · #1 of 56 by penalties · AT/BELOW-US
California — top-third OSHA penalty rollup
California ranks #1 of 56 by assessed OSHA penalties ($121.6M), with 36,301 inspections on 19,429 tracked employers.
- 19,429
- Employers
- 36,301
- Inspections
- $121.6M
- OSHA penalties
- $285.8M
- Back wages
The state in one line
California ranks #1 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 62,917 violations cited across 36,301 inspections and $285.8M in wages recovered for workers.
- #1
- of 56 states by penalties
- 1.73
- violations per inspection
- $6K
- avg penalty per employer
- 7,768
- WHD wage-theft cases
This rank counts 30% of the penalty dollars recorded for California: only employers with at least two OSHA inspections or $1,000 or more in Wage & Hour back wages. On every recorded penalty dollar it would rank #1 of 56.
OSHA citation docket
State IMIS book CA · California AT/BELOW-US · MID-PPE
#1/56 · 36,301 insp · $121.6M
- BOOK 19,429 employers
- INSP 36,301 inspections
- RANK #1 of 56
- PEN $121.6M
- RATE 1.73 viol/insp
- VS-US AT/BELOW-US
- WHD $285.8M
- PHOTO Texas
Nearest employer-book peer: Texas ($8.9M penalty gap)
California ranks #1 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 62,917 violations cited across 36,301 inspections and $285.8M in wages recovered for workers. OSHA IMIS + DOL WHD citation stamps for this jurisdiction. Read with this state → · Worst-cited employer → · Similar-footprint state → · Compare employers →
California in the OSHA-penalty neighbourhood
Total assessed OSHA penalties among this state and nearest employer-book peers
- CA (this)
California
$121,550,007 penalties
- TX
Texas
$112,686,990 penalties
- IL
Illinois
$97,162,064 penalties
- NY
New York
$67,811,337 penalties
- FL
Florida
$58,623,129 penalties
- MI $45,390,508
Michigan
$45,390,508 penalties
What this shows California carries $121.6M in assessed OSHA penalties, ranked #1 of 56 jurisdictions.
Where California ranks nationally
Average OSHA penalty per tracked employer, vs all 56 U.S. jurisdictions
$6,256 Top 43% most affordable more affordable than 57% of 56 U.S. jurisdictions
Each bar is a $2K-wide band; taller bars hold more U.S. jurisdictions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts · 2026
Do more violations mean harsher penalties?
Each dot is one of the 56 U.S. jurisdictions with both violation and penalty data, placed by total violations cited and the average current penalty per violation. The highlighted dot is California.
Top OSHA & wage enforcement actions in California
Ranked by combined OSHA penalties and DOL Wage & Hour Division back wages. Some employers below have wage-theft cases with zero OSHA safety violations, or vice versa; check the Inspections/Violations columns before drawing safety conclusions.
| # | Employer | Inspections | Violations | Penalty + wages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corrections Corporation of America (CCA)California City | 0 | 0 | $8.1M |
| 2 | Hewlett-PackardPalo Alto | 0 | 0 | $5.2M |
| 3 | California Cartage CompanyCarson | 0 | 0 | $3.6M |
| 4 | ZenefitsSan Francisco | 0 | 0 | $3.4M |
| 5 | LinkedInMountain View | 0 | 0 | $3.3M |
| 6 | AloricaIrvine | 0 | 0 | $3.2M |
| 7 | John Muir HealthWalnut Creek | 5 | 5 | $2.4M |
| 8 | Munger Bros.- Empire Ranch (8 Mile Road)Stockton | 0 | 0 | $2.1M |
| 9 | First Republic BankSan Francisco | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 10 | Price TransferCompton | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 11 | Lange Trucking Inc.Pleasanton | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 12 | Southwest Fuel Management, Inc.Agoura Hills | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 13 | CLP Skill Trade Solution Inc.Van Nuys | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| 14 | San Mateo County HSA Children & Family Ser.Belmont | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| 15 | Byton North AmericaSanta Clara | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 16 | Hewlett Packard (NASA ACES Contra)/PerspectaPalo Alto | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 17 | Chevron U.S.a. INC.Richmond | 65 | 172 | $1.5M |
| 18 | Able Building MaintenanceSan Francisco | 0 | 0 | $1.5M |
| 19 | National Consolidated Couriers, IncSan Leandro | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 20 | L&Y Food, Lotus Poultry, Moon Poultry, et alEl Monte | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
All employers in California
Industries in California
Enforcement and wage-compliance data broken out by industry sector within California.
Top Cities in California
The 20 cities with the most employers in the federal enforcement record within California (of 513 total).
Nationwide states with similar OSHA penalties or violation rates
Two enforcement-record peer sets for California: nearest jurisdictions by total assessed OSHA penalties and by violations per inspection. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the employer-book peers above.
Similar total OSHA penalties
Other top-third penalty states outside California's employer-book footprint — matched by total assessed OSHA penalties ($121.6M here).
Similar violations per inspection
States with lower inspection-weighted violation rates near California's 1.73 per inspection.
Source: OSHA Enforcement Data, U.S. Department of Labor · Verify with OSHA establishment search →
Source: Wage & Hour Division Compliance Actions, U.S. Department of Labor · DOL WHD data →