29 CFR 1903.7: Conduct of inspections
The official text is on the eCFR. Below: how the section is organized, the paragraphs our ASP, CHST questions are built on, and free questions to try.
Quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; last amended 1982-12-10.
How 29 CFR 1903.7 is organized
- (a)1 paragraph
- (b)1 paragraph
- (c)1 paragraph
- (d)1 paragraph
- (e)1 paragraph
- (f)1 paragraph
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 10 live PassCited questions on this section: our bank, not the real exam.
“(b) Compliance Safety and Health Officers shall have authority to take environmental samples and to take or obtain photographs related to the purpose of the inspection, employ other reasonable investigative techniques, and question privately any employer, owner, operator, agent or employee of an establishment. (See § 1903.9 on trade secrets.) As used herein, the term employ other reasonable investigative techniques includes, but is not limited to, the use of devices to measure employee exposures and the attachment of personal sampling equipment such as dosimeters, pumps, badges and other simil…”
“(c) In taking photographs and samples, Compliance Safety and Health Officers shall take reasonable precautions to insure that such actions with flash, spark-producing, or other equipment would not be hazardous. Compliance Safety and Health Officers shall comply with all employer safety and health rules and practices at the establishment being inspected, and they shall wear and use appropriate protective clothing and equipment.”
“(e) At the conclusion of an inspection, the Compliance Safety and Health Officer shall confer with the employer or his representative and informally advise him of any apparent safety or health violations disclosed by the inspection. During such conference, the employer shall be afforded an opportunity to bring to the attention of the Compliance Safety and Health Officer any pertinent information regarding conditions in the workplace.”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1903.7
Question 1
During an OSHA inspection of a roadway tunnel project, a compliance officer is escorted by the project's safety manager. The officer wants to attach air sampling pumps to two welders to measure their exposure to welding fumes. The general contractor's superintendent objects, saying the officer may only look at conditions and photograph them, and that the officer should not be allowed to put equipment on employees. Based on the standard, how should the superintendent's objection be assessed?
Answer: C. The objection is not valid, because reasonable investigative techniques include attaching personal sampling equipment such as pumps to employees to monitor their exposures Source: 29 CFR 1903.7(b)
Why, and the rule text
OSHA's inspection rule, 29 CFR 1903.7(b), lets compliance officers use reasonable investigative techniques, which expressly include attaching personal sampling equipment such as pumps, dosimeters, and badges to employees. Photographs and area samples are examples of authority, not limits. The rule does not require written worker consent, and the closing conference happens after the inspection, not before sampling.
On the job
At a wastewater treatment plant, a compliance officer asks to clip a noise dosimeter to two pump operators. The plant engineer argues the officer may only observe and photograph. The EHS manager points to OSHA's inspection rule, which lets officers use reasonable investigative techniques, including attaching dosimeters, pumps, and badges to employees to monitor their exposures. The manager then arranges for the operators to wear the devices.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer C comes from
29 CFR 1903.7(b)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“As used herein, the term employ other reasonable investigative techniques includes, but is not limited to, the use of devices to measure employee exposures and the attachment of personal sampling equipment such as dosimeters, pumps, badges and other similar devices to employees in order to monitor their exposures.”
Question 2
A compliance officer finishes walking a building project and meets with the project manager. The officer says a scaffold had a plank gap. The project manager knows a delivery crew moved a plank minutes before the officer arrived and wants to say so. What does the inspection rule provide at this point?
Answer: D. The manager may give pertinent information about workplace conditions during the closing conference Source: 29 CFR 1903.7(e)
Why, and the rule text
OSHA's inspection rule says the officer confers with the employer at the end of the inspection and informally advises of apparent violations. The employer must be given a chance to raise pertinent information about conditions. The meeting is not one-way, and the information is not held back until a contest or the officer's agreement.
On the job
At the closing conference after a walkthrough of a water treatment plant expansion, the compliance officer informally advises the site superintendent of an apparent unguarded floor opening. The superintendent explains that a contractor had removed the cover for a pipe fitting less than an hour earlier. The inspection rule affords the employer that chance to bring pertinent information about workplace conditions to the officer's attention.
Study aid, not site-specific safety advice. The official rule controls.
Answer D comes from
29 CFR 1903.7(e)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“At the conclusion of an inspection, the Compliance Safety and Health Officer shall confer with the employer or his representative and informally advise him of any apparent safety or health violations disclosed by the inspection. During such conference, the employer shall be afforded an opportunity to bring to the attention of the Compliance Safety and Health Officer any pertinent information regarding conditions in the workplace.”
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A study aid, not legal advice or an official interpretation. Always check the current eCFR text.