California Construction Safety Study: Findings From 8,153 Jobsite Inspections

Last updated: November 13, 2026

Summary: M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. analyzed 389,990 scored checklist items from 8,153 construction jobsite inspections recorded between November 2014 and May 2026, and 4.6 percent of those items failed at inspection. The highest item failure rates were floor hole cover marking (40.4 percent), ladder side rails extending 36 inches above the landing (22.5 percent), and annual fire extinguisher service (18.8 percent).

Key findings

Measure Result
Jobsite inspections analyzed 8,153
Scored checklist items 389,990
Inspection record dates November 18, 2014 to May 6, 2026
Overall failure rate across all items 4.6 percent
Inspections for clients based in California 7,926
Inspections for clients based in Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Texas and Utah 227

Failure rates by checklist item

Failure rate is the number of times an item was scored as failing divided by the number of times that item was checked. Items are listed from the highest rate to the lowest.

Checklist item Failed Checked Failure rate Guide
Floor hole covers secured and marked 38 94 40.4 percent Fall protection
Ladder side rails extend 36 inches above the landing 165 734 22.5 percent Ladders
Fire extinguishers serviced annually 945 5,031 18.8 percent Fire extinguishers
Ladder secured against slipping 95 512 18.6 percent Ladders
Safety data sheets readily accessible 839 4,842 17.3 percent Safety data sheets
Written emergency medical services plan in place 234 1,568 14.9 percent Emergency medical services plan
Eye and face protection worn as required 772 5,430 14.2 percent PPE
Heat illness response procedures in place 338 4,544 7.4 percent Heat illness prevention
Head protection worn as required 261 4,460 5.9 percent PPE

For comparison, the fall protection category as a whole failed 980 times in 5,473 checks, a 17.9 percent failure rate, the highest of the large categories in the record.

Inspections by county

Each inspection is counted in the county of its jobsite address. The client location in the key findings table is recorded separately from the jobsite location, so the 227 inspections for clients based outside California are not the same figure as the 93 out-of-state jobsites below, which counts only jobsite addresses that name a state other than California.

Location Inspections
San Diego County 3,380
Los Angeles County 1,878
Orange County 1,321
Riverside County 309
San Bernardino County 296
Ventura County 41
Out of state 93
Address conflicts 18
No usable address 817
Total 8,153

Methodology

The figures come from M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. inspection records, which hold scored checklist items from jobsite inspections completed between November 18, 2014 and May 6, 2026. Duplicate copies of inspections and test entries were removed before counting, which leaves 8,153 real inspections and 389,990 checklist items. Each remaining inspection was assigned to a county using the ZIP code of its jobsite address first, and the city of the jobsite second. Inspections whose ZIP code and city pointed to different counties are reported as address conflicts, and inspections with no usable address are reported separately. A failed item is a checklist item that an inspector scored as failing at the time of the inspection. The failure rate for an item is the number of failed scores divided by the number of times that item was checked. The overall failure rate of 4.6 percent is the share of all 389,990 scored items that failed.

Limitations

  • This is not a random sample. The sites are M Squared Safety client sites and sites where M Squared Safety was asked to inspect, so the rates describe those sites and not all California construction.
  • A failure means a checklist item was scored as failing at inspection. It is not a Cal/OSHA citation, a violation finding, or a penalty.
  • The dataset is self-reported. It comes from M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. own inspection records and has not been independently audited.
  • The figures are not a Cal/OSHA publication and are not a prediction of the outcome of any individual inspection.
  • Inspections without a usable address are not counted in any county, so county totals understate the full record.
  • Checklist items were not all checked the same number of times, so item rates based on fewer checks carry more uncertainty than rates based on thousands of checks.

How to cite this study

Ready-to-paste citation:

M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. (2026). California Construction Safety Study: Findings From 8,153 Jobsite Inspections. https://msquaredsafety.com/pages/california-construction-safety-study. Inspection records dated November 18, 2014 to May 6, 2026.

Related resources

County pages

California compliance guides

Frequently asked questions

How many inspections does the study cover?

The study covers 8,153 jobsite inspections and 389,990 scored checklist items recorded between November 18, 2014 and May 6, 2026. Of those inspections, 7,926 were for clients based in California and 227 were for clients based in Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Texas and Utah.

What is the overall failure rate?

Across the full record, 4.6 percent of scored checklist items failed at inspection.

Which checklist items failed most often?

Among the items reported in the study, floor hole cover marking failed 40.4 percent of the time (38 of 94 checks), ladder side rails extending 36 inches above the landing failed 22.5 percent of the time (165 of 734 checks), and annual fire extinguisher service failed 18.8 percent of the time (945 of 5,031 checks).

Does a failed item mean a Cal/OSHA citation?

No. A failed item means a checklist item was scored as failing by an inspector at the time of the inspection. It is not a citation, a violation finding, or a penalty.

How were inspections assigned to counties?

Each inspection was counted in the county of its jobsite address, using the ZIP code first and then the city. Inspections with address conflicts or no usable address are reported separately and are not counted in any county.

How do I cite this study?

Cite it as: M Squared Safety Solutions, Inc. (2026). California Construction Safety Study: Findings From 8,153 Jobsite Inspections. https://msquaredsafety.com/pages/california-construction-safety-study. Inspection records dated November 18, 2014 to May 6, 2026.