Standards Information and Activity

With certain exceptions, the N.C. Department of Labor adopts federal OSHA standards verbatim within six months of federal promulgation and uses the standards for enforcement of the N.C. Occupational Safety and Health Act. To stay informed of upcoming rules that may affect North Carolina, you may access the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) agency rules that are in various stages of the rulemaking process; pre-rule, proposed rule, and final rule stage. The USDOL follows a specific rulemaking process when federal OSHA decides that regulatory action for adoption of a new standard is necessary. USDOL/OSHA develops and publishes the proposed rule in the Federal Register and solicit comments from the public across the country, including North Carolina. After federal OSHA considers the feedback from the public, they make changes where appropriate, and then publish a final rule in the Federal Register with the date the rule becomes effective. In issuing a final rule, the USDOL/OSHA will describe and respond to the public comments in the Federal Register.   

Federal OSHA standards recently repealed or adopted by the OSH Division are listed below, along with a brief description of each standard. Documentation of OSH Verbatim Adoptions can be found on the NCDOL Rules and Regulations page. The OSHA standards discussed can be accessed through OSHA's Law and Regulations page on the federal OSHA website. Additional information on these topics can be found on the NCDOL Occupational Safety and Health Topic Pages.

OSH Division State Specific Rules

The OSH Division state specific rules are contained in Title 13 of the North Carolina Administrative Code.

OSHA Standards Adopted

Hazard Communication - Compliance Dates

Effective June 1, 2026, North Carolina adopted the federal OSHA updates made to the compliance dates in the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. The compliance dates listed in the standard were extended by four months. Refer to the January 15, 2026, Federal Register (Vol. 91, No. 10) for the details related to these requirements.

Hazard Communication - Corrections

Effective June 1, 2026, North Carolina adopted the federal OSHA corrections made to the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. The modifications to the standard include corrections to several inadvertent errors. Refer to the January 8, 2026, Federal Register (Vol. 91, No. 5) and the February 13, 2026, Federal Register (Vol. 91, No. 30) for the details related to these requirements.

OSH Issuance of Citations and Penalty Modifications

Annual penalty adjustments are made in accordance with the North Carolina General Statutes §95-138(a)(2a) and §95-138(a1), the North Carolina Administrative Code 13 NCAC 07A .0301, 29 CFR 1903 and the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) published by the United States Department of Labor. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to produce the required October 2025 CPI-U data due to the government shutdown. As a result, the annual civil monetary penalties cost-of-living adjustment could not be made this year, and the 2025 civil monetary penalty levels as listed in 29 CFR 1903.15 will continue to be used for 2026.

Effective June 1, 2026, North Carolina minimum civil penalties associated with occupational safety and health standard violations have been updated to reflect policy revisions in Chapter 6 of the Field Operations Manual.  

The new penalties are reflected in the Table below.