OSHA is authorized under the OSH Act to conduct workplace inspections to enforce its health and safety standards and to ensure that employers provide safe workplaces. Every workplace covered by the OSH Act is subject to inspection by compliance officers. Each state with a state plan has its own occupational health and safety inspectors who have authority under state law to enter workplaces for this purpose.
Under the OSH Act, an inspector must present appropriate credentials to the employer upon arrival at the facility selected for inspection. After presentation of valid credentials, the OSH Act authorizes the inspector to both:
"enter upon, without delay, and at reasonable times, any factory, plant, establishment, construction site, or any other workplace or environment where the work is performed by an employee of an employer"
"inspect and investigate during regular working hours and at other reasonable times and within reasonable limits [in] a reasonable manner, any such place of employment and all pertinent conditions, structures, machines, apparatuses [sic], devices, equipment, and materials therein and to question privately any such employer, owner, operator, agent, or employee.”
The employer rarely is provided notice...
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