Commercial Cleaning Research

OSHA Inspections in Texas Commercial Cleaning (2026)

Texas is the nation's second-largest janitorial market and a federal OSHA state — eight area offices across the Dallas Region serve contractors from the Permian Basin to the Rio Grande Valley, with the Houston petrochemical corridor adding unique confined-space and chemical-exposure risks on top of standard NAICS 561720 citation patterns.

Federal OSHAStatute: 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry); 29 CFR 1904 (Recordkeeping); OSH Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. §651 et seq. Texas has no state OSHA plan for private-sector workers.Effective: Current; FY2026 penalty schedule effective Jan. 15, 2025Last reviewed: Q2 2026
State
Texas
Governing Statute
29 CFR 1910 (General Industry); 29 CFR 1904 (Recordkeeping); OSH Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. §651 et seq. Texas has no state OSHA plan for private-sector workers.
29 CFR 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout); 29 CFR 1910.1030 (Bloodborne Pathogens); 29 CFR 1910.1200 (HazCom); 29 CFR 1910.28 (Fall Protection); 29 CFR 1910.134 (Respiratory Protection); 29 CFR 1910.303 (Electrical — General)
Enforcement Agency
OSHA Dallas Region (Region 6): Regional Office, 525 S. Griffin Street, Room 602, Dallas, TX 75202; (972) 850-4145. Dallas Area Office: 1100 E. Campbell Road, Suite 250, Richardson, TX 75081; (972) 952-1330. Houston North Area Office: 690 S. Loop 336 W., Suite 400, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 760-3800. Houston South Area Office: 17625 El Camino Real, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77058; (281) 286-0583. Austin Area Office: 1033 La Posada Dr., Suite 375, Austin, TX 78752; (512) 374-0271. Fort Worth Area Office: 8713 Airport Freeway, Suite 302, Fort Worth, TX 76180; (817) 428-2470. San Antonio Area Office: 8200 W. Interstate 10, Suite 605, San Antonio, TX 78230; (210) 472-5040.
Civil Penalty
Serious: up to $16,550 per violation; Willful/Repeat: up to $165,514 per violation (federal, effective Jan. 15, 2025). Texas has no state plan; all penalties governed by federal OSH Act.

Jurisdiction overview: federal OSHA — Dallas Region

Texas is a federal OSHA state with no state plan. All private-sector janitorial contractors are covered by federal OSHA under the OSHA Dallas Region (Region 6), 525 S. Griffin Street, Room 602, Dallas, TX 75202; (972) 850-4145. Texas has eight federal OSHA area offices. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses specialty contractors (mold remediators, asbestos abatement) but does not enforce OSHA standards. There is no separate Texas public-sector safety agency.

Inspection priorities for NAICS 561720 janitorial services

  • 29 CFR 1910.147 — Lockout/Tagout: The single highest-penalty citation category for NAICS 561720 nationally ($322,101 in FY2025 federal penalties). Texas's large oil refinery, petrochemical plant, food-processing, and healthcare complex cleaning sector means janitorial contractors routinely work around complex energy-isolation points — conveyor systems, industrial ovens, compactors, and HVAC units. Machine-specific LOTO procedures and documented annual training are mandatory.
  • 29 CFR 1910.1030 — Bloodborne Pathogens: Texas has the Texas Medical Center (the world's largest medical complex, Houston), UT Southwestern Medical Center, and thousands of clinics and outpatient surgery centers. Janitorial contractors at any healthcare facility must maintain a current written Exposure Control Plan, document HBV vaccine offers within 10 days of any assignment to an exposed task, and provide annual BBP training.
  • 29 CFR 1910.1200 — Hazard Communication GHS: Written HazCom program, SDS binder, GHS labeling of secondary containers, documented annual training. Texas's large Spanish-speaking cleaning workforce makes Spanish-language training documentation an enforcement focus — OSHA's Dallas Region has cited for inadequate bilingual training materials.
  • 29 CFR 1910.28 — Fall Protection: Required for cleaning at heights in Texas's extensive high-rise commercial stock (downtown Houston, Dallas CBD, Austin tech corridor), stadium facilities (AT&T Stadium, NRG Stadium, Minute Maid Park), and industrial high-bay warehouses.
  • 29 CFR 1910.134 — Respiratory Protection: Chemical exposure during spray application of disinfectants, floor stripping in enclosed spaces, and cleaning near industrial process equipment may require respiratory protection. Medical evaluation and fit-test required before any tight-fitting respirator use.

Recent enforcement actions

OSHA's Dallas Region is one of the most active federal OSHA regions. Recent enforcement patterns relevant to Texas janitorial contractors include: In July 2024, OSHA's Dallas Region cited a Houston metal powder coating company for dozens of serious safety violations (unreported LOTO hazards, PPE deficiencies) at its facility — contract cleaning crews at such sites face identical citation exposure. In 2024, OSHA's Dallas Region cited a Frisco contractor multiple times for trench exposures, illustrating the region's repeat-citation approach for chronic violators. OSHA's Dallas Region also enforces a Regional Emphasis Program for Sanitation and Clean-Up Operations (NAICS 311XXX) — food-plant cleaning contractors in Texas are subject to targeted inspections. Consult OSHA's Establishment Search for prior citation histories at Texas worksites.

Penalty schedule — 2026 federal OSHA amounts

Federal OSHA FY2026: Serious — up to $16,550 per violation; Willful/Repeat — up to $165,514 per violation; Failure to Abate — $16,550/day. Reductions available for employer size (up to 60% for ≤25 employees), good faith (25%), and clean history (10%). Willful minimum: $11,823.

Required programs and recordkeeping

  • Written Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan — 29 CFR 1910.1030(c): Annual review; exposure determination listing all job classifications and tasks with potential OPIM contact; HBV vaccine offer documentation.
  • Written Hazard Communication Program — 29 CFR 1910.1200(e): Chemical inventory, SDS binder (or electronic equivalent accessible during each work shift), GHS-compliant labels on all secondary containers, documented annual training.
  • Lockout/Tagout Program — 29 CFR 1910.147(c): Machine-specific energy control procedures for all powered equipment; annual periodic inspection of procedures by authorized employee; documented training for authorized, affected, and other employees.
  • OSHA 300/300A/301 Recordkeeping — 29 CFR 1904: NAICS 561720 janitorial contractors with 11+ employees in the prior calendar year must maintain full injury and illness logs. Annual summary (300A) must be posted February 1 – April 30.

State-specific considerations — Texas heat and TDLR

  • Heat illness — general duty clause: Texas does not have a state-specific heat illness prevention standard (unlike California). Federal OSHA enforces heat safety under the general duty clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act). In 2024, OSHA published a proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rule — until finalized, Texas employers should maintain written heat illness prevention plans covering water, rest, and shade for cleaning workers in non-air-conditioned environments (warehouses, loading docks, outdoor facilities). OSHA's Dallas Region has issued citations under the general duty clause for heat exposures in Texas workplaces.
  • TDLR specialty licenses: Mold remediators (16 TAC Chapter 78) and asbestos abatement contractors must hold TDLR licenses separate from OSHA compliance obligations.
  • OSHA On-Site Consultation Program in Texas: Delivered by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) — free, confidential, separate from OSHA enforcement. Contact the Texas OSHA Consultation Program: (800) 687-7080.

OSHA Dallas Region area offices serving Texas

  • Dallas Area Office: 1100 E. Campbell Road, Suite 250, Richardson, TX 75081; (972) 952-1330
  • Fort Worth Area Office: 8713 Airport Freeway, Suite 302, Fort Worth, TX 76180; (817) 428-2470
  • Houston North Area Office: 690 S. Loop 336 W., Suite 400, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 760-3800
  • Houston South Area Office: 17625 El Camino Real, Suite 400, Houston, TX 77058; (281) 286-0583
  • Austin Area Office: 1033 La Posada Dr., Suite 375, Austin, TX 78752; (512) 374-0271
  • San Antonio Area Office: 8200 W. Interstate 10, Suite 605, San Antonio, TX 78230; (210) 472-5040
  • Corpus Christi Area Office: 606 N. Carancahua, Suite 700, Corpus Christi, TX 78401; (361) 888-3420
  • Lubbock Area Office: 1205 Texas Avenue, Room 806, Lubbock, TX 79401; (806) 472-7681

How janitorial contractors prepare for OSHA compliance in Texas

  • For any petrochemical-complex or food-plant cleaning contracts, develop facility-specific LOTO procedures under 29 CFR 1910.147 before deploying crews — OSHA's Dallas Region inspects contract cleaning crews at these sites as part of programmed inspections of the host facility.
  • Create a written heat illness prevention plan addressing water, rest, shade, and acclimatization for all outdoor and non-climate-controlled cleaning assignments — enforce it even before a federal heat standard is finalized, given the Dallas Region's active general-duty-clause enforcement of heat in Texas.
  • Ensure all BBP Exposure Control Plans name specific healthcare, dental, veterinary, and laboratory cleaning clients, and are reviewed annually per 29 CFR 1910.1030(c)(1)(iv).
  • Contact the Texas TDI OSHA Consultation Program (800-687-7080) for free on-site hazard assessments before bidding on industrial or healthcare cleaning contracts.

Cross-references — related compliance pages

Primary sources

Authored by the Opora Editorial Team.

Sources

This page is informational only. It does not constitute legal advice, tax advice, or a professional compliance determination. Laws vary by state and locality, change over time, and apply differently depending on your specific facts and circumstances. Before taking any action with legal or business consequences, consult a licensed attorney or CPA qualified in your jurisdiction.