Most Cited Cal/OSHA Violations in Restaurants
Cal/OSHA issued 2,781 citations across 1,008 California restaurant and food-service inspections from 2020 through 2025. The most-cited standard is §3203, the written Injury and Illness Prevention Program — cited almost three times as often as anything else.
Cal/OSHA publishes a statewide top-ten list of frequently cited standards but no per-industry breakdown. This page is the restaurant and food-service cut, computed from the federal enforcement data that Cal/OSHA inspections flow into. The period is January 2020 through December 2025: 2,781 citations across 1,008 California food-service inspections (NAICS 722).
Free IIPP template. A fill-in Injury and Illness Prevention Program with plain-language prompts for each element §3203 names. PDF, no account. Request the template →
The top ten, 2020–2025
Citations counted per violation line item. Average penalty is the mean current penalty across the row’s citations, including those reduced to $0; the range minimum is the smallest non-zero current penalty. Current penalties are as retrieved 2026-08-21 and change as cases settle.
| # | Standard | What it covers | Citations | Avg penalty | Penalty range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | §3203 | Injury and Illness Prevention Program | 734 | $840 | $50 – $90,000 |
| 2 | §6151 | Portable Fire Extinguishers | 260 | $265 | $50 – $4,000 |
| 3 | §5194 | Hazard Communication | 236 | $341 | $50 – $14,400 |
| 4 | §3205 | COVID-19 Prevention (expired standard — see note) | 132 | $1,929 | $75 – $63,000 |
| 5 | §2340.16 | Work Space About Electric Equipment | 127 | $305 | $75 – $900 |
| 6 | §342 | Reporting Work-Connected Fatalities and Serious Injuries | 90 | $3,808 | $1,000 – $6,000 |
| 7 | §3249 | Cold Storage, Processing, and Manufacturing Rooms | 83 | $437 | $75 – $4,050 |
| 8 | §5162 | Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment | 70 | $1,395 | $110 – $8,100 |
| 9 | §3396 | Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment | 67 | $668 | $130 – $4,500 |
| 10 | §3273 | Working Area | 66 | $931 | $85 – $22,500 |
| 11 | All other standards | 139 distinct sections outside the top ten | 916 | $1,489 | $50 – $22,500 |
| Total | All standards cited | 2,781 | $1,081 | $50 – $90,000 |
Reading the table
One standard dominates. §3203’s 734 citations are more than the next three rows combined. The requirement is a written program with scheduled inspections, training documentation, a communication system, and a named responsible person — our Cal/OSHA IIPP guide walks through all of it. For a single-location restaurant, this is the row that decides what an inspection finds.
§3205 is an expired standard, kept in the table because the citations were real. The COVID-19 Prevention section’s own text states it applied until February 3, 2025, with its recordkeeping subsection applying until February 3, 2026. Its 132 citations date from the years it was in force. It is history now — but it shows how fast a new written-program standard can become a top-five citation source.
The indoor heat rule is already here. §3396 applies to indoor workplaces from 82°F, with full requirements at 87°F — thresholds a kitchen can cross in an ordinary summer. It entered the restaurant top ten within this data period.
The rest is the walk-through list. Fire extinguishers (§6151), chemical labeling and safety data sheets (§5194) — dish chemicals and degreasers count — clearance around electrical panels (§2340.16), and an eyewash where corrosives are used (§5162 — note its average penalty, the third-highest in the table).
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Methodology
Computed from the U.S. Department of Labor enforcement dataset (the OSHA Information System), which includes Cal/OSHA because California operates an OSHA-approved State Plan. Scope: citation line items on California inspections with NAICS codes beginning 722, issuance dates January 2020 through December 2025, excluding citation records deleted in the source data. Data as retrieved 2026-08-21; counts change as cases settle and records are amended. Cal/OSHA’s own statewide summaries are at DIR’s citation statistics pages.
A citation count says what inspectors cited, not what any employer must do — the standards themselves say that. Each section above links to its full text.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most cited Cal/OSHA standard in restaurants?
8 CCR §3203, the Injury and Illness Prevention Program — 734 citations on California restaurant and food-service inspections from 2020 through 2025 in the federal enforcement data. Second is §6151, portable fire extinguishers, with 260.
Does Cal/OSHA inspect restaurants?
Yes. The federal enforcement data records 1,008 California food-service inspections (NAICS 722) with citations issued from 2020 through 2025. Health departments inspect food safety; Cal/OSHA's subject is employee safety, and its most-cited restaurant standard is the written IIPP.
Does the indoor heat rule apply to restaurant kitchens?
8 CCR §3396, Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment, applies to indoor workplaces at 82°F and above, with additional requirements at 87°F — temperature triggers, not an industry list. It already appears in this data with 67 restaurant citations through 2025.