Dental practices: what an audit looks like
OCR, OSHA and your state each ask a dental practice for different records. This page lists what they request, how they sample, and the findings that recur in their own published data.
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Who comes, and how often
OSHA or your State Plan agency
Imminent danger comes first, then fatalities and catastrophes, then complaints and referrals, with programmed inspections last. The bloodborne pathogens standard applies to any employee with reasonably anticipated contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials.
State dental board and state radiation control program
Each state licenses dentists and registers dental X-ray equipment under its own rules and sets its own triggers. Check your own state's board and radiation program for what applies to you.
What they ask to see
Written Exposure Control Plan and its records
The plan must be available to OSHA on request. It holds the exposure determination and is reviewed at least annually with documented consideration of safer devices. OSHA can also ask for training records kept 3 years, hepatitis B vaccination and declination forms, and medical records kept for employment plus 30 years.
29 CFR 1910.1030(c), (f)(2), (g)(2) and (h)Source ↗
Hazard communication program, chemical list and safety data sheets
The written program lists the hazardous chemicals known to be present and describes how labels, safety data sheets and training are handled. Safety data sheets must be readily accessible to employees during each work shift, and training is given at initial assignment and when a new chemical hazard is introduced.
29 CFR 1910.1200(e)(1), (g)(8) and (h)(1)Source ↗
What gets cited, with counts where they are published
Written Exposure Control Plan
Ranked 1st of the provisions cited under 29 CFR 1910.1030; no counts published October 2013 to August 2025
OSHA ranks the written Exposure Control Plan first among the bloodborne pathogens provisions most frequently cited, ahead of employee training and hepatitis B vaccination with follow-up. OSHA publishes the ranking without counts.
What is not published
OSHA's cited-standard database sits behind a verification page, so OSHA's ranking is shown without counts.
Dates that matter
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| November 20, 2026 | Hazard communication: employers update labeling, the written program and training for newly identified hazards of substances Source ↗ | Scheduled |
| May 19, 2028 | Hazard communication: the same updates for mixtures Source ↗ | Scheduled |
| 2027-07 | HIPAA Security Rule overhaul: final action listed in the Unified Agenda as a long-term action (proposed rule published January 6, 2025) Source ↗ | Expected |
Sources
- reginfo.gov /public/do/eAgendaViewRule
- ecfr.gov /current/title-45/section-164.316
- ecfr.gov /current/title-29/section-1910.1200
- osha.gov /laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030
- osha.gov /bloodborne-pathogens/enforcement
- osha.gov /fom/chapter-2
- dshs.texas.gov /texas-radiation-control/x-ray-machines-x-ray-services/inspectio…
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