Privacy Policy

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety may collect and maintain personal information only through lawful means. All office employees who collect and/or maintain personal information strive to comply with the provisions of the Information Practices Act. “Personal information” includes, but is not limited to: any information that identifies or describes an individual, including his or her name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history. Personal information also includes statements made by or attributed to, the individual. Specifically, it includes information acquired through job applications and employee personnel files, grant applications, contracts for services from individuals, and public comments or questions via mail or electronic mail.

The purposes for which the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety may collect personal information will be specified at or prior to the time such information is collected. The personal information collected is relevant to the purpose for which it is needed. Any subsequent use of the information will be limited to and consistent with the fulfillment of those purposes previously specified.

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety will not disclose, use for any purpose other than as specified at the time it was collected, or make available any personal information collected, except with the written consent of the subject of the information or as otherwise permitted by law or regulation.

The State may provide or distribute certain lists and statistical reports of regulatory information as provided by law, but no personal information is distributed, and all relevant legal protections still apply to the State’s websites.

We strive to protect personal information against loss, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or transfer. The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety employees responsible for the collection, use, maintenance, and / or dissemination of records containing personal information are trained to take appropriate precautions, including but not limited to authentication, monitoring, auditing, and encryption to ensure that proper administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established and followed in order to protect the confidentiality of such information. Employees are trained to remove or redact personal information when data disclosures are necessary.

Individuals have a right to access information about themselves and may request a correction of any inaccuracies. In order to request access or correction of your information, see the contact information below.

When you visit our website, you should be aware that during the data linking of your computer to our website, a “cookie” may be created. Temporary cookies may be used when necessary to complete a transaction, to process data submitted to us online, to facilitate an ongoing Internet interaction, or to understand trends in the use of our website. Cookies do not compromise your privacy or security and only last until the user closes their browser. Using web browser settings you can refuse the cookies, or delete the cookie file from your computer by using any of the widely available methods. Keep in mind that each browser has its own method for removing cookies. Information on how to delete cookies from your computer can be found at the following website:  http://www.aboutcookies.org

When you visit our website, transaction log information is collected, which includes: your domain name or Internet Protocol address, browser software used, requests submitted to our web servers, date and time the website was accessed, and statistical information about which web pages you visited. This information is defined as electronically collected information, under Government Code 11015.5. Under Government Code § 11015.5, if you choose, you may have any personal information collected about you discarded without reuse or distribution, provided we are contacted in a timely fashion. In order to request that we discard your transaction log information, see the contact information below.

If you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for specific information (i.e., completing a request for assistance, personalizing the content of the website, sending an e-mail, or participating in a survey), more detailed data will be collected. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of the website.

The transaction log information will be disclosed to the  Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety staff in order to help us manage and improve our website. This information is used only for internal purposes, allowing our staff to measure the number of visitors to the different sections of our website and to help improve our website for future visitors.

If any type of personal information is collected on our website or volunteered by the user, State law, including the Information Practices Act of 1977, Government Code Section 11015.5, and the federal Privacy Act of 1974 require that it must be protected.

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety will not distribute or sell any electronically collected personal information about users to any third party. It should be noted that electronically collected personal information is exempt from requests made under the California Public Records Act.

The  Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety Privacy Officer is responsible for the overall implementation and enforcement of this privacy policy.

Questions, comments, or complaints regarding this privacy policy or requests for personal information access, correction, or deletion should be addressed to:  privacy@energysafety.ca.gov