# Loss Control Inspection: What Your Insurer Checks at a NEMT Company

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/glossary/loss-control-inspection/ · Updated 2026-10-06

A loss control inspection is a review of your NEMT company by your insurer, or a consultant it hires, to judge how well you prevent crashes and injuries. The inspector looks at drivers, vans, training, and claims, then may give you a report and recommendations. It affects your price and coverage, not legal compliance. In Texas and California, workers' comp insurers must offer this help at no extra charge.

- The standard workers' comp policy lets the insurer inspect at any time and says its inspections concern insurability and premium, not safety.
- A Texas workers' comp insurer must deliver safety services within 15 days of your request, or 60 days when a survey is needed, at no extra charge.
- California insurers must describe their free loss control services in writing when the policy is issued and every year after.
- Oregon insurers must answer a hazard request within 30 days and offer a loss prevention plan to employers with above-average claims.
- Idaho and Maine let an insurer cancel some commercial policies midterm when you ignore loss control recommendations.

## What a loss control inspection is

A loss control inspection is your insurer's check on how your company prevents losses: crashes, riders hurt during loading, and drivers hurt on the job. It can be a visit to your office and lot or a review of your records. California's insurance department says most commercial insurers have their own loss prevention departments and some hire outside firms (Commercial Insurance Guide, revised June 14, 2024). Texas lets workers' comp insurers use their own staff, independent contractors, or a mix (Labor Code 411.063).

The inspector works for the insurer, not for you or a regulator. The standard workers' comp policy gives the insurer the right, but not the duty, to inspect your workplaces at any time. It says those inspections concern whether you can be insured and what you pay, that they are not safety inspections, and that the insurer does not promise your workplace is safe or legal (form WC 00 00 00 C, Part Six). Editions of the form differ a little, so read the Inspection clause in your own policy. A clean report does not mean you meet OSHA, state, or broker rules. It is also not the payroll check that sets your final bill, which is the [workers' comp audit](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-audit/).

### When an inspector shows up

- **Soon after a new policy starts.** New York's insurance department explained in a September 10, 2009 opinion that the first 60 days of a new commercial policy give the insurer time to inspect and check your application, and it may cancel for nearly any lawful reason in that window with 20 days' notice. Idaho draws the same 60-day line, with 30 days' notice (Idaho Code 41-1842).
- **After claims.** Oregon requires a workers' comp insurer to offer help writing a loss prevention plan to each employer whose claims are more frequent or more severe than its average employer in the same industry (OAR 437-001-1040).
- **After a work death.** A Texas workers' comp insurer must contact you within seven working days of learning of a work-related death and offer a survey, then start an accepted survey within 60 days (28 TAC 166.2, effective July 1, 2024).
- **When you ask.** Texas, California, and Oregon require workers' comp insurers to make the service available, as the table below shows.

### A dispatch example

Say you run six wheelchair vans in Texas. Two drivers strained their backs this year pushing riders up steep home ramps. Your workers' comp policy carries the required bold notice that accident prevention services are available at no additional charge, with a phone number and email for the insurer's safety staff.

On March 2 you email that contact and ask for a visit. A survey is needed, so the insurer has until May 1 to provide it, unless you agree to a later date. Texas lists surveys, recommendations, training programs, consultations, and analyses of accident causes among the services (Labor Code 411.061), so ask for driver training on ramps in the same email. When the written recommendations arrive, put each one in a log with the date you fixed it, and hand that log to your agent with your [loss runs](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/loss-runs/) before renewal.

## What the inspector looks at in a NEMT company

Insurers differ, but state workers' comp rules show what a review covers. California's rules define the service as help recognizing, evaluating, and controlling significant preventable hazards and other sources of workers' comp losses (8 CCR 339.3). Its statute requires the insurer's service to include a workplace survey with management and, with your permission, other staff; a review of your injury records; and a plan to improve, including changes to your [injury and illness prevention program](https://nemtguide.com/templates/california-iipp/) (Labor Code 6354.5). Oregon adds help evaluating your safety management practices and finding training needs, and requires a written report with a plan of action (OAR 437-001-1035).

For liability coverage, Maryland's insurance regulator lists a business's approach to handling and preventing risks among the things insurers weigh. It says solid, documented safety practices could bring a lower premium and policy discounts, so tell your agent and insurer about them (business owner's guide, July 2024).

Have these ready on the day:

- **Driver files.** A current [motor vehicle record](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/motor-vehicle-record/), license, and training record for every driver on your schedule, organized with the [driver file checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-file-checklist/). Check that the driver list you gave the insurer matches who actually drives.
- **Vehicle records.** Daily checks, repairs, and yearly inspections for each van, including lift and ramp service, in a [vehicle maintenance log](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-vehicle-maintenance-log/).
- **Securement and lift training.** Who was trained, when, and by whom. See [wheelchair securement](https://nemtguide.com/guides/wheelchair-securement/).
- **Crash and injury reviews.** Each incident report with the cause you found and what you changed. The [fleet safety program](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-fleet-safety-program/) guide covers crash reviews and coaching from camera or telematics data.
- **Injury records.** Your OSHA log, if you must keep one. [OSHA for NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/osha-for-nemt/) explains the 10-employee rule.

## Free safety help your workers' comp insurer must offer

As of October 2026, Texas, California, and Oregon spell out what a workers' comp insurer owes you when you ask. Other states have their own rules, so ask your agent or your state insurance department.

| State | When the insurer tells you | How fast it must respond |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | A bold notice on the policy's front or information page | 15 days, or 60 days if a survey is needed |
| California | In writing when the policy is issued, every year, and if Cal/OSHA targets you | No deadline in the statute |
| Oregon | When the policy is written and every year, with an offer of an on-site evaluation | 30 days for a hazard, as soon as possible for imminent danger |

- **No fee.** Texas requires the services at no additional charge, and California bars any fee on top of the premium.
- **No waiver up front.** A Texas insurer may not ask you to sign away all accident prevention services in advance (28 TAC 166.2).
- **If the insurer does not respond.** In Texas, file a written complaint with the Division of Workers' Compensation. Its line for questions about these rules is 1-800-687-7080 (as of June 2026). In California, the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation, 510-622-3959, has a loss control services coordinator who answers employers' questions and investigates complaints about insurers' services (annual report of February 18, 2026). In Oregon, complain to Oregon OSHA.

Government consultants are another option. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program is free, confidential, and separate from enforcement. Texas runs its own program, OSHCON, at 800-252-7031 option 2, free to private employers whether or not they carry workers' comp (as of July 2026). In California, call Cal/OSHA Consultation at 1-800-963-9424.

## What happens if you ignore the recommendations

Recommendations are not orders, but insurers keep a record of them. Texas requires written records of every accident prevention service (28 TAC 166.2), and Oregon requires its workers' comp insurers to keep them for at least three years (OAR 437-001-1035). Some states name recommendations in their cancellation rules:

- **Idaho.** Once a commercial property or liability policy has been in force 60 days, or after a renewal, the insurer may cancel midterm for things you do or fail to do that raise a hazard, including not following loss control recommendations. It must give 30 days' notice, rising to 60 days under the version that takes effect January 1, 2027. Workers' comp is outside this law (Idaho Code 41-1842).
- **Maine.** Once a casualty policy, such as liability coverage, has run 60 days or been renewed, the insurer may cancel it before it expires for only six listed reasons, and one is failing to follow reasonable loss control recommendations. You may ask the superintendent for a hearing within 45 days of the notice, and the insurer must prove its reason (24-A M.R.S. 2908).
- **New York.** The insurance department's lawyers concluded in 2009 that ignoring recommendations is not, by itself, a reason to cancel a renewed policy or one past its first 60 days. The insurer must show an act or omission that substantially and materially increases the hazard (Insurance Law 3426(c)(1)(D)).

Where a midterm cancellation is not allowed, the insurer can still raise your price or decline to renew at the end of the term, with the notice your state requires. Notice periods for nonrenewal are on [NEMT insurance denied](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-denied/), and what moves your price is on [NEMT insurance cost](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-cost/).

1. **Get the report in writing,** with every recommendation listed.
2. **Give each one an owner and a due date.** If one does not fit your operation, tell the insurer in writing what you will do instead.
3. **Keep proof of each fix,** such as a training roster, a repair invoice, or a new written procedure.
4. **Send the finished log** to your insurer and your agent before renewal.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a loss control inspection the same as an OSHA inspection?

No. It is your insurer's review, and the standard workers' comp policy says the insurer's inspections relate to insurability and premium and are not safety inspections. An OSHA inspection is enforcement and can lead to citations. OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program is a third option: free, confidential, separate from enforcement, and run by state agencies or universities.

### Do I pay for a loss control inspection?

Not for your workers' comp insurer's safety services in Texas or California. Texas requires them at no additional charge (28 TAC 166.2), and California bars any fee on top of the premium (Labor Code 6354.5). For auto and liability policies, California's insurance department says insurers usually build loss control into higher risk, higher premium accounts as part of the package, so ask your agent before the visit whether anything is billed separately.

### Does a good inspection report mean my company is compliant?

No. The standard workers' comp policy says the insurer does not promise that your workplace is safe or healthful or that it meets laws, codes, or standards. Your broker contracts, your state's Medicaid rules, and OSHA still apply on their own. Treat the report as a to-do list, not a certificate.

### How do I ask my workers' comp insurer for a free safety visit?

Find the safety contact on your policy. Texas policies must print it in a bold notice on the front or information page, and California insurers must send a written description of their services every year. Ask in writing and keep a copy. In Texas the insurer must respond within 15 days, or within 60 days if a survey is needed.

## Official resources

- [Texas DWC: Accident prevention services](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/safety/aps.html)
- [Texas DWC: OSHCON free safety consultation, 800-252-7031 option 2](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/oshcon/index.html)
- [California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation](https://www.dir.ca.gov/chswc/)
- [Cal/OSHA Consultation Services, 1-800-963-9424](https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/consultation.html)
- [Oregon OSHA: Insurers' loss prevention program rules](https://osha.oregon.gov/rules/final/division-1/Pages/437-001-1025-1040.aspx)
- [OSHA: On-Site Consultation Program](https://www.osha.gov/consultation)