N.C. Department of Labor's Safety Awards Program is administered through its Education, Training and Technical Assistance Bureau of the Occupational Safety and Health Division. Through the Safety Awards Program, private and public firms that achieve and maintain good safety records are recognized. This program is designed to stimulate interest in accident prevention and to promote safety in the workplace by providing an incentive to employers and employees to maintain a safe and healthful workplace. Annual safety awards are presented during ceremonies that take place each spring across North Carolina.
Annual Safety Awards
To qualify for an annual safety award, a firm must:
- Have no fatalities during the calendar year at the site or location for which the award was given; and
- Have maintained an incidence rate at least 50 percent below the average for its particular industry group.
Two Safety Award Levels - Gold and Silver
- The Gold Award is based on the days away, restricted, transferred (DART) rate, which includes cases of days away from work, restricted activity or job transfer. See lines H and I of the OSHA form 300A to determine the DART rate.
- The Silver Award is based only on cases with days away from work. They are recorded when the worker misses at least one full day of work, not including the day of the injury. See line H of the OSHA Form 300A to determine the number of cases with days away from work.
Application Process
Applications for the 2025 annual safety awards, for the 2026 Safety Awards Season, will be emailed to participating firms in January, 2026. These applications are to be submitted online by the applicant no later than February 15, 2026 in order to attend a banquet. Even if your organization does not qualify for an award this year, we encourage you to submit an application to remain active in the program.
If you have questions about the Safety Awards Program, please contact our Safety Awards Coordinator, Jackson Lohrer, at 919-707-7721 or via email at safety.awards@labor.nc.gov.