Press Releases

On Dec. 13, from noon to 3 p.m., the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program will collect toys at 4 W Edenton St., in front of the Labor Building. This is the 25th year that the N.C. Department of Labor and its Toys for Tots partners have co-hosted this annual toy drive. This year's drive will be a 'drive-by and drop-off' event.

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson will convene a meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Advisory Council on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The meeting—slated to begin at 10 a.m.—will be held in-person at Randolph Community College’s Martha Luck Comer Foundation Conference Center.

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson and MaryBe McMillan, President, North Carolina State AFL-CIO released the following statement regarding Workers’ Memorial Day 2023:

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson will convene a meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Advisory Council on Tuesday, May 2. The meeting—slated to begin at 10 a.m.—will be held in-person at the NCDOL Lake Boone Trail Office in Raleigh.

The N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL) and Barringer Construction celebrated the completion of the safety and health construction partnership for the building of a foundry known as Charlotte Pipe and Foundry. Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson presented company officials with a certificate at the closing ceremony on Tuesday, March 28, after giving brief remarks. 

Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson released the following statement regarding Medicaid Expansion:


“I would like to commend the N.C. General Assembly on their work and collaboration in making Medicaid Expansion happen in North Carolina. This legislation gives at least 500,000 North Carolinians healthcare coverage that they so badly need. This legislation will also create an incentive for individuals to enter the workforce without fear of losing their healthcare coverage.

Safety is engrained in every aspect of life. For some, it is a way of life. This is the case at Sonoco Recycling in Jacksonville and Wilmington. The two sites received their first Carolina Star recertification awards Wednesday, March 1. As Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson said during his visit to both sites, “Safety is not just a part of the culture, safety is the culture at the Sonoco Recycling facilities in Jacksonville and Wilmington.” 

Struck-by incidents and falls from elevation caused the largest number of non COVID-19 work-related deaths last year in the Tar Heel state, based on preliminary information released today by the N.C. Department of Labor (NCDOL). The department’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division inspected 63 non COVID-19 work-related fatalities that occurred in 2022. The division also inspected three cases reported as deaths related to COVID-19.

On Friday, Dec. 9, Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson visited the construction site of North Carolina’s first “net-zero energy” domestic violence shelter. Amy’s Closet, Lincoln County’s non-profit for domestic violence protection funding, has been raising money for almost 10 years to be able to build this building. 

New figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor, show the nonfatal workplace injury and illness rate for North Carolina’s private industry remains at a historic low for 2021 with a rate of 2.2 cases per 100 full-time workers. This is significantly lower than the national rate of 2.7.