Press Releases

Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry will convene a meeting of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Advisory Council on Wednesday, May 8. The meeting—slated to begin at 10 a.m.—will be held in the Old Revenue Building located at 111 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh.

Struck-by incidents and falls caused the largest number of work-related deaths in the Tar Heel state in 2018, based on preliminary information released today by the state Department of Labor. Struck-by incidents accounted for 14 work-related deaths while falls accounted for nine. There were 39 work-related fatalities that fell under the jurisdiction of the NCDOL’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division in 2018, one less than in 2017.

Every year the N.C. Department of Labor receives complaints of poster companies that use scare tactics to sell labor law posters. NCDOL says threats of being fined are bogus and should be ignored.

“Poster companies have been known to charge more than $150 for the posters,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “I want the business community to know that the labor law posters are available from NCDOL free of charge.”

New figures show North Carolina’s nonfatal workplace injury and illness rate for private industry declined to a historic low in 2017. The 2017 rate is 2.3 cases per 100 full-time workers, a drop from 2.5 in 2016. The Tar Heel state remains one of the safest states in which to work with a rate below the national rate of 2.8 cases per 100 full-time workers.

The N.C. Department of Labor has deployed occupational safety and health professionals to counties hardest hit by Hurricane Florence to assist the public and businesses during the dangerous cleanup phase. The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division has converted to consultative mode in those areas impacted by Hurricane Florence to help prevent injuries and illnesses that often spike during natural disasters.

Struck-by incidents followed by falls caused the largest number of work-related deaths statewide in 2017 based on preliminary information released today by the state Department of Labor. Struck-by incidents accounted for 14 work-related deaths while falls accounted for 13. There were 40 total work-related fatalities that fell under the jurisdiction of NCDOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Division in 2017, 10 fewer than there were in 2016.

The N.C. Department of Labor has begun accepting applications from businesses that qualify for a workplace safety award. Safety awards are presented to companies throughout the year that have demonstrated above-average worker safety and health programs.

Labor law posters provided by the N.C. Department of Labor have been updated to include the required information pertaining to the N.C. Employee Fair Classification Act, which became effective Dec. 31. The new information is included on the Wage and Hour Notice to Employees section of the labor law posters. Labor law posters are available from NCDOL free of charge.

New figures show North Carolina’s workplace injury and illness rate for private industry in 2016 was statistically unchanged from its historic low in 2015. The 2016 rate is 2.5 cases per 100 full-time workers, compared to 2.6 in 2015. The Tar Heel state remains one of the safest states in which to work with a rate below the national average of 2.9 cases per 100 full-time workers.

As the calendar officially turns to summer, the N.C. Department of Labor is urging businesses and employees who work in hot and humid environments during the summer months to be cautious and know the signs of heat stress. The N.C. Department of Labor has partnered with The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and OSHA to promote OSHA’s original Heat Safety Tool, a downloadable app for cell phones.