By Neal O’Briant
Public Information Officer
The Department of Labor recognized the successful
completion of a worksite safety partnership with Barnhill
Contracting Co. and Balfour Beatty Construction.
The officials with the Labor Department and with the
companies signed the safety partnership agreement in
September 2008 for the construction of the new Wake
County Justice Center. Such partnerships allow for better
use of the resources of the department’s Occupational
Safety and Health Division and for innovation in safety
management. The partnerships also aim to reduce worksite
accidents by improving the overall effectiveness of existing
safety and health programs.
Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry presented partnership
completion certificates to officials with both companies
on Thursday, Nov. 29.
“I know that our folks have benefitted from being right
there—hands on—on the site with you,” Commissioner
Berry said. “It makes us better with what we do in other
areas of the state and with other companies. I am so proud
and honored that you have allowed all of us to be a part of
it. We look forward to the same kind of relationship going forward.”
More than 950 workers were employed at some point on the project during the partnership period. At the height of construction, more than
400 employees were on the site at one time. The partnership was completed with no fatalities and, at one point, reached 605,000 hours with no
lost time accidents.
“We achieved our goals for injury rates and were fortunate to celebrate many milestones along the way,” said Drew Rintelmann of Barnhill
Contracting.
The center will contain more than 580,000 square feet of space within an 11-story structure. The building will house 20 new courtrooms, with
associated support space, and will have the capacity to add more new courtrooms in the future. It will also provide public meeting space for the
Board of County Commissioners and administrative space for the County Manager, County Attorney, Finance and Budget Operations, Register
of Deeds, Revenue/Assessor, and various other support needs. The projected occupancy for the center is July 2013.
“We have a track record to prove that safety pays,” said David Wiest, project executive with Barnhill Contracting. “It pays to do it right.”
Both companies had previous partnerships with the Labor Department. Barnhill Contracting, along with Skanska, was in a safety partnership
with the OSH Division for the construction of the Raleigh Convention Center, which concluded in May 2009. Balfour Beatty, along with D.H.
Griffin Construction Co., was in a safety partnership with the OSH Division for the construction of the Guilford County Detention Center, which
concluded November 2011.
Rintelmann credited the partnership with giving their companies the opportunity to improve. He said the partnership at the Justice Center had been
instrumental in making for a stronger company safety and health programs for both companies and in strengthening the companies’ relationship
with the Labor Department.
“This partnership, especially, has given us the opportunity to strengthen that relationship to where both of our companies have been considered
for some pretty prestigious opportunities with the Labor Department,” Rintelmann said.
Barnhill Contracting became the first SHARP Construction company in the nation in October 2012. The Labor Department recognized Balfour
Beatty as a Building Star company also in October 2012.
Labor Department Celebrates Successful Safety Partnership
       	         	
       
   
        	
   
      	  

   
     

            
 

January-February 2013
continued on page 3
The new Wake County Justice Center in Raleigh is almost complete. Workers will have
the new building ready for occupancy midsummer.
On Jan. 8, I became a regular guest host on a local radio
talk show. WSHA-FM 88.9, a 50,000 watt jazz radio station
that broadcasts from the campus of Shaw University, has
invited the Labor Department to participate in the Community
Program, which aims to build a dialogue between various
state offices and the station’s listeners.
The live one-hour broadcast will air on the first or second
Tuesday of each month at noon. The title of the show is
Lunch and Labor with Cherie Berry, the North Carolina
Commissioner of Labor. My first broadcast was an overview
of the department. Subsequent shows will highlight various
bureaus and divisions, and I will have the opportunity to
invite staff members to join me on the program. We’re already
preparing for the Feb. 5 broadcast, with Bureau Chief
Kathryn Castelloes joining me to highlight the work of our
Apprenticeship and Training Bureau.
At the end of the broadcast, the listeners are invited to call
in and ask questions. You can listen on the radio or by visiting
the station’s website at www.shawu.edu/wsha/home/ and
clicking on “Listen Live.”
The monthly program will provide an opportunity for us to
and programs and to answer any questions they might have.
I hope you’ll listen in at noon on Feb. 5 and each following
month.
Inside this edition:
Open House Helps Restore Hope for Apprentices page 3
Holy Angels Earns SHARP Status page 5
Work Zone Safety Hazard Alert Published page 6
NCDOL Alliance With Caswell Center page 6
A SHARP Success Story page 6
Workplace Deaths Drop 34 Percent page 7
Posting of Injury and Illness Summary Required page 8
Deadly Mistakes page 9
Workplace Worries page 9
NCDOL Expands Facebook Presence page 9
Bulletin Board page 10
2
From Labor
Commissioner
Cherie Berry
        	
   
      	  

Cherie Berry
Commissioner of Labor
Editor........................................................................Neal O’Briant
Layout and Design..............................................Jeff Wilson
Publications Bureau Chief....................Mike Daniels
1101 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1101
1-800-625-2267 • www.nclabor.com
Recognition Roundup identifies businesses that qualify for one of the N.C.
Department of Labor’s recognition programs. Congratulations to all of the
recent award recipients. To view a complete list of all North Carolina Star
recipient companies, click here.
To view a complete list of all North Carolina SHARP companies, visit
www.nclabor.com/osha/consult/sharp_sites.pdf.
Recognition Roundup
Safety and Health Achievement Recognition
Program (SHARP) Award
Southland Electrical Supply Inc., Burlington
Century Products, LLC, Greensboro
All 4 Paws Animal Hospital, Apex
North Buncombe Family Medicine, Weaverville
Sonoco Recycling Inc., Jacksonville
Southern Veterinary Hospital, Whiteville
NEPTCO Inc. (3815-3 N. Main St.), Granite Falls
NEPTCO Inc. (3815-2A N. Main St.), Granite Falls
NEPTCO Inc., Lenoir
Amano Pioneer Eclipse Corp., Sparta
Public Sector SHARP Sites
City of Eden Public Utilities, Eden (3 locations)
The Labor Department’s safety partnerships with contractors reach
every employer on the worksite. A particular emphasis of the partnership
agreement is involving all subcontractors on the site. The contractors
and subcontractors prepared detailed written prejob and prephase safety
and health planning documents. They trained affected employees on
the identified hazards and controls.
“Working with OSH on partnerships is a win for all parties
involved,” said Jeff Beam, project executive with Balfour Beatty. “It
links the subcontractors and contractor to the resources of OSH to
ensure a safer working environment for all employees on the jobsite.”
Management of safety and health depends on a thorough understanding
of the potentially hazardous situations to which project workers may
be exposed and the ability to recognize and correct hazards as they
arise. The project’s safety committee included management and workers
from the subcontractors on the site. The safety committee reviewed the
findings and recommendations of inspections at its monthly safety and
health meetings. Employees of the OSH Division participated in quarterly
inspections of the worksite.
“The ongoing support and guidance we received from OSH was not
only beneficial to the management of the project but also to the trade
workers,” said Shelley Godwin, operations director with Balfour Beatty.
Labor Department Celebrates Safety Partnership
3
continued from page 1
continued on page 4
Officials with Barnhill Contracting and Balfour Beatty Construction enjoy the
view from near the top of the new Wake County Justice Center in Raleigh during a
final walk-through with NCDOL employees. The Labor Department and companies
celebrated the successful completion of a worksite safety partnership for construction
of the building on Nov. 29.
By Dolores Quesenberry
Communications Director
On the morning of Dec. 14, Chef Bob Passarelli was busy
in the kitchen preparing for an afternoon Christmas open
house as he would for any event. Large mixing bowls and
cookie sheets covered the preparation area of the kitchen while
helpers hand-mixed dough for holiday sausage balls, put the
finishing touches on Chef Bob’s Christmas cookies and
sliced hot pastrami reuben strudel into bite-sized portions.
It looked like any prep kitchen would prior to any event
except for one minor difference—the helpers were apprentices
with the N.C. Department of Public Safety’s Division of
Adult Correction and they were receiving on-the-job training
from Chef Bob at the prison’s test kitchen on Yonkers Road
in Raleigh.
The Department of Public Safety began the program to
help inmates transition back into the workforce through a
Registered Apprentice Program that is designed to break down recidivism.
Victoria Knott with the N.C. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship and Training Bureau worked recently with Stephanie Young, the food service
manager of the Test Kitchen Program, to upgrade the program.
“A high percentage of inmates return to prison after they are released because they do not have the skills needed to enter into the workforce,”
Knott said. “This program gives the apprentices experience in the food service industry, but more importantly, it gives them hope for a brighter future.”
Stephanie Young, who is the heart of the program, has been coordinating on-the-job training for the inmates for several years, but she really
wanted to take the program to the next level by having it registered through NCDOL. On Nov. 1, the program officially became registered and
is now known as the Department of Public Safety Food and Nutrition Services Assistant Apprenticeship Program.
Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry attended the official ceremony to kick off the program and while there asked Stephanie to cater her annual
Christmas Open House—an event Commissioner Berry personally funds to show her appreciation for her staff’s work over the year.
Christmas Open House Helps Restore Hope for Apprentices
Chef Bob Passarelli teaches the apprentices the final steps in decorating Christmas cookies.
“I wanted to show Stephanie and the apprentices how much
I believed in them,” Commissioner Berry said, “so I asked them
to cater my annual Christmas Open House.”
Stephanie enlisted the help of Chef Bob with US Foods, who
has worked as the lead chef at the Governor’s Mansion, to prepare
the menu for the Christmas Open House and to train the apprentices
on the morning of the event. US Foods, a food distributor in the
Triangle, is an important sponsor of the program.
“This program is designed to give the apprentices real world
experiences,” Young said. “It restores their confidence and gives
them something to do when they leave here as opposed to
returning to crime.”
The apprentices must meet certain criteria to become eligible
for the program, and they are carefully monitored while in the
program. The apprentices are used to help cater events at the
Governor’s Mansion and other official events to gain experience
in the food service industry. There are 14 apprentices currently
registered in the program.
For Commissioner Berry’s event, Stephanie assigned seven
of the 14 apprentices to help cater the event.
“The apprentices selected were nervous and honored to be a
part of Commissioner Berry’s Christmas Open House,” Young said. “The other seven will have something to work for next year, so it will provide
great incentive for them to work hard.”
The Registered Apprenticeship Program requires 2,000 hours of on-the-job training combined with 144 hours of related classroom instruction.
The program begins two years prior to being released from prison.
“Our hope is that if we give them the training, the employers will give them a chance,” Young said. “We cannot thank Commissioner Berry
enough for the opportunity.”
On the day of the event, the apprentices donned matching white shirts, black aprons and black bow ties. Upon arrival at the Labor Building,
they were escorted to the second floor conference room and began preparing last-minute finger foods and placing food on trays.
Other menu items Chef Bob introduced the apprentices to at the test kitchen that were served at the event included apple walnut stuffed baked
brie, Belgian endive with boursin cheese, hummus with adzuki bean and brown rice chips, white chocolate cherry cookies, and melt away brownie
bites.
“I see the value in teaching these ladies skills before sending them back to their communities,” Commissioner Berry said. “With skills and confidence
they can go back to their families and communities and be productive citizens.”
After the event was over, the apprentices cleaned the prep area and loaded the trays on the van to head back to the prison. Before leaving the
Labor Building, one apprentice stated that she had found her calling. “This is what I want to do,” she said. “I can’t wait to get out there and do it.”
Restaurants across the state interested in hiring the apprentices after they are released may contact Stephanie Young, FSMI, N.C. Department of
Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction, Vocational Test and Training Kitchens, 2020 Yonkers Road, Raleigh, NC 27604. Phone: 919-716-3290.
Open House Helps Restore Hope for Apprentices
4
Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry thanks the apprentices for the delicious food and
their hard work at her Open House.
continued from page 4
NCDOL Safety Awards
Apply today for an NCDOL safety award. Applications are due Feb. 15.
The Labor Department will recognize companies with outstanding on-the-job
safety records during 2012 at a series of 30 banquets across the state.
Click here for more information and to apply.
By Neal O’Briant
Public Information Officer
The NCDOL Consultative Services Bureau recognized Holy Angels in Belmont as a participant in the Safety and Health Achievement
Recognition Program.
Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry visited Holy Angels on Nov. 30 to present the SHARP certificate flag during a ceremony at the nonprofit’s
Morrow Center in Belmont.
“Your hard work and dedication to safety make a difference for everyone,” Commissioner Berry said. “SHARP is a wonderful program because
it recognizes employee ownership and management’s support. You should be proud of what you have accomplished.”
The SHARP Award is designed for small to mid-size businesses. Companies that qualify for the award show that they have developed and
maintained good safety programs for workers. To qualify for the program, injury and illness rates for the site must be below the national average
for the industry, and NCDOL safety and health consultants must complete an assessment of the workplace. There are 112 sites in the program
throughout North Carolina. SHARP is also a process for getting employees involved in driving improvements in the safety and health program
as well as in quality and productivity.
“This is a wonderful testament to Holy Angels and the Safety Action committee for their commitment to safety and health for not only our staff
but for our residents as well,” said Regina Moody, president/CEO. “It also places before us the continued challenge to live up to what this award
represents and indicates to our community, our county and our state. It challenges us to exceed our own standards and to continue to ‘Be Smart,
Be Sure, Be Safe and Be Sanitary’ each and every day.”
To achieve SHARP status, Holy Angels invited NCDOL OSH consultants to do a comprehensive site visit. Following the second visit, when
the consultants reviewed the corrections made to the list of identified hazards from their initial visit, they recommended Holy Angels for this safety
recognition.
Holy Angels, founded in 1956 by the Sisters of Mercy, is a private nonprofit corporation. Holy Angels has been dedicated to providing loving
and compassionate care, learning programs, and high-quality living opportunities through its innovative and internationally recognized programs
for the differently able. Programs for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions include the Holy
Angels Morrow Center, four community group homes, five ICF/MR group homes (intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded), Great
Adventures, Camp Hope, Life Choices (adult day program), and Cherubs Café & Candy Bouquet in downtown Belmont.
Holy Angels Earns SHARP Status
5
Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry helps employees of Holy Angels in Belmont display the SHARP flag.
By Felecia Parks
Safety Education Specialist
On Nov. 27, Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and Caswell
Developmental Center Director Leon Owens proudly signed an alliance
agreement between the N.C. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety
and Health Division and the N.C. Department of Health and Human
Services’ Caswell Developmental Center. The Caswell Developmental
Center, located in Kinston, is the first DHHS residential facility to join
the OSH Division’s Alliance Program.
The Caswell Center is the state’s oldest long term care residential
facility for people with developmental disabilities. It has been serving
the citizens of North Carolina for more than 100 years. Currently more
than 1,500 employees work at the center.
This alliance agreement is an effort to collaborate and share expertise
in the long term care industry, fostering a culture of prevention while
sharing best practices and technical knowledge. OSH and the Caswell Center will join forces to promote safe and healthful working conditions
by reducing and preventing occupational hazards, increasing access to safety and health information, and providing training resources.
NCDOL Alliance With Caswell Developmental Center
The Caswell Center in Kinston is the first N.C. Department of Health and Human
Services residential facility to join the OSH Division’s Alliance Program.
By Ed Lewis
Safety Standards Officer
The N.C. Department of Labor published a new hazard alert about work zone safety in response to two
fatal accidents that occurred in 2012. In May, a driver of a private vehicle struck and killed a concrete truck
driver in a work zone in Yancey County. The driver of the private vehicle also died in the accident. In
August, a driver who claimed to have fallen asleep drove into a work zone in Cherokee County killing two
workers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest number of fatal work-related injuries
occurs as the result of transportation incidents and workers in highway work zones struck by vehicles
or mobile equipment. Emergency responders and workers in cleanup, utility, demolition and construction
and others working in areas where heavy equipment and vehicular traffic are present are at risk of being struck.
Read the complete work zone safety hazard alert here.
Work Zone Safety Hazard Alert Published
6
        	
   
      	  

HAZARD
Cherie Berry,Commissioner of Labor
1-800-625-2267  www.nclabor.com
Occupational Safety and Health Division
1101 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1101
continued on page 2
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the highest number of fatal work-related injuries
occurs as the result of transportation incidents and
workers in highway work zones struckby
vehicles or mobile equipment. Emergency
responders and workers in cleanup, utility,
demolition and construction and others
working in areas where heavy equipment and
vehicular traffic are present are at risk of being
struck. Rear-end collisions account for 40 percent
of all work zone related accidents.
Work zones move external traffic in an approved direction around a
work area and are typically identified by signs, cones, barrels and barriers.
A work zone consists of four areas: the advance warning area, the transition
area, the activity area and the termination area. In combination, these
components serve to alert external vehicular traffic to a working area,
safely move traffic around the area of activity (work space), then safely
return traffic to the normal travel path.
During 2012, the number of work zone accidents in North Carolina
rose. One occurred in May 2012 during a road-widening project in Yancey
County. The accident occurred as a result of a privately owned vehicle
driving through the barricades of a marked work zone and striking a
concrete truck and its driver. At the time of the incident, the concrete truck
driver was preparing to pour concrete onto the bridge structure. Both the
driver of the concrete truck and the driver of the privately owned vehicle
died as a result of their injuries. A similar incident occurred in August
2012 when a driverentered a highway work zone and struck and killed
two workers. That driver lived and claimed to have fallen asleep.
In both of these instances, the work zones were well defined and
properly designed and demarcated with traffic barrels, traffic barricades
and concrete barriers. In addition, workers—including the driver of the
concrete truck—were wearing personal protective equipment. Neither
investigation identified any violations of OSHA standards.
The N.C. Legislature took an additional step toward reducing the
number of injuries and fatalities associated with work in highway work
zones and other work along roadways. Effective Oct. 1, 2012, the scope
of the “Move Over” law was expanded by modifying the definition of
a “public service vehicle” to include vehicles used to install, maintain or
restore any utility service (electric, cable, telephone, communications and
gas) and highway maintenance vehicles owned, operated or contracted
by state or local government.
The “Move Over” law requires motor vehicle operators approaching
an emergency vehicle (police, fire and rescue) or a public service vehicle
(including a vehicle used to assist motorists and law enforcement officers
with wrecked or disabled vehicles) to move the vehicle into another
lane traveling in the same direction on a multilane highway, if it can be
done safely, or to slow down when this is not possible and on two-lane
highways. This applies only when the emergency or public service
vehicle is within 12 feet of a roadway and is giving a warning signal
by appropriate light.
First traffic control barrel struck by driver after leaving highway. Distance
to the point of contact was approximately 600 feet.
Final resting place of privately owned vehicle after striking concrete truck.
Work Zone Safety
A SHARP Success Story
By Neal O’Briant
Public Information Officer
Quality Associates celebrated its renewal in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) on Dec. 6. The Brown Summit
facility employs about 150 workers, and the company has four locations across the country. It is a secondary packaging company, taking bulk
products produced by other companies and repackaging them in floor displays, bundles and special promotional packs.
Barry Bailey, a safety consultant with the OSH Division’s Consultative Services Bureau, made company officials aware of the free consultation
program in 2008. He had previously done a compliance inspection at the site when he was with the division’s West Compliance Bureau. Company
officials eagerly embraced the program, wanting to protect the safety and health of their employees and to develop the best possible safety and
health program for the company’s employees.
Blair Byrd, a health consultant with OSH Consultative Services, accompanied Bailey on an initial walk-through inspection of the company that
turned up several hazards. There were electrical problems with temporary wiring being used in place of permanent wiring. Some machines lacked
continued on page 7
proper guards, and a broken ladder should have been removed from use.
In addition, not all exits were properly marked.
Through the consultation process, the company’s employees learned
how to identify hazards on their own. Each subsequent visit by Bailey
and Byrd turned up fewer hazards. The company established a safety
committee. Members of management and the safety committee conduct
daily safety audits of all areas in all departments. Any hazards identified
during the daily safety audit are corrected. If it is necessary to shut down
a production line to correct an identified hazard, they do it with the full
support of plant management. Company officials feel that the more people
who are involved in the process, the more likely they are to uncover hazards
before there is an incident.
Eighteen months after the first consultative visit, NCDOL approved the
company for participation in SHARP. The company received its renewal
in August 2012.
“Quality Associates has been pretty successful in improving safety and
health at the facility since we have been working with them,” Bailey said.
“The safety and health culture there has greatly
improved with employee involvement and
management commitment!”
The company’s injury and illness records
and workers’ compensation information show a steady improvement in safety and health. Its experience modifier rate
dropped from 1.40 to 0.90. In addition, the company has experienced cost savings due to its workers’ compensation rate
coming down as well as cost of injuries. The company also reduced costs due to equipment because employees have
found better and safer equipment that eliminated or reduced the need for other equipment.
Safety manager Nadine Case noted the availability of continual help from Consultative Services personnel to support
the company’s efforts—providing sample programs, helping to identify hazards, and advising them as they realized
improvements in the safety and health process.
“The safety and health culture here while minimal when we started working with the consultants has changed,”
Case said. “Continually expanding employee involvement has produced employees who take responsibility for safety.
Management commitment to safety has grown as well as we have seen great improvements due to the fact that the
employees’ attitudes have changed. Our injury rates have declined and that was our goal when we joined the program.
Thanks to the N.C. Department of Labor Consultative Services Program, we are sending our employees home every
day the way they reported to work—injury free.”
A SHARP Success Story
Workplace Deaths Drop 34 Percent
By Dolores Quesenberry
Communications Director
Workplace fatalities dropped 34 percent in 2012 based on preliminary figures released in January by the N.C. Department of Labor. Fatalities
dropped from 53 in 2011 to 35 in 2012.
“Last year the Department of Labor vowed to redouble its efforts to prevent workplace accidents from happening, and we called on employers
and employees across the state to recommit themselves to workplace safety and health,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “While zero is
the only acceptable number, we are encouraged by a 34 percent drop and to see that our joint effort with the thousands of employers and employees
made a difference.”
The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Division has taken a proactive approach to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in
North Carolina workplaces by establishing partnerships with some of the most hazardous industries. The OSH Division also issued hazard alerts
regarding forklifts, struck-bys, heat stress and firefighter safety after identifying problems in those areas the previous year.
“We have increased our outreach to employers and employees with hazard alerts, industry guides and posters, as well as focused training,” said
Allen McNeely, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Division. “We will continue our efforts this year in order to educate workers and
decrease the number of accidents caused by being struck by vehicles and equipment.”
The state’s latest injury and illness rate for private industry remains at an all-time low at 3.1 per 100 full-time workers. The injury and illness
rate has remained 3.1 for the past three years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles the injury and illness rate data. Based on the most
continued on page 8
7
continued from page 4
OSH consultants Barry Bailey and Blair Byrd join Quality Associates officials
and the company’s safety team at a celebration on Dec. 6.
Quality Associates employee
La Venta Arechiqa uses a
Kevlar glove on his “off”
hand to prevent lacerations
while opening boxes.
recent data released by the BLS, North Carolina remains one of the
top 10 safest states in which to work.
The OSH Division has identified four hazards known as “the big
four” that have caused 80 percent of the work-related deaths in
North Carolina during the past decade. The leading cause of the
work-related fatalities in 2012 was struck-by events with 14. Six
workers were caught in/between objects, and five workers died in
falls from elevations. Four were electrocuted. Six workers died in
other fatal events.
“While fatalities in the workplace were significantly lower this
past year, struck-by hazards continue to rival falls as the cause of
many worker deaths,” McNeely said. “These types of accidents can
and should be avoided, so we still have plenty of work to do.”
Construction was the leading industry for fatal accidents with 10
in 2012, a decrease from 16 in 2011. Agriculture, forestry and fishing
had the second highest number of deaths with seven, down from 10
in 2011. The number of fatalities in manufacturing increased from
three in 2011 to six in 2012. The services industry also saw an
increase in fatalities, from four in 2011 to six in 2012.
Wholesale trade experienced three fatalities, and retail trade experienced
one in 2012. There was one fatality in the transportation and public
utility industry as well as one in the public sector.
There were no work-related fatalities in 75 of North Carolina’s
100 counties. Gaston, Mecklenburg and Wake experienced three
fatalities each. Four counties had two fatalities. They were Harnett, Iredell, Rockingham and Sampson. There were 18 counties that experienced
one fatality.
Whites accounted for 21 of the 35 workplace deaths. Blacks accounted for five, and Hispanics for nine. Men accounted for 34 of the 35 workplace
fatalities.
Workplace Deaths Drop 34 Percent
Occupational Fatalities in North Carolina, 2005-2012
continued from page 7
Employers must post OSHA Form 300A: Summary of Work-related Injuries and Illnesses
By Neal O’Briant
Public Information Officer
Employers are reminded that they must post a summary of work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2012. The N.C. Department of
Labor requires the summary be posted from Feb. 1 through April 30.
Most employers must keep a Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) that records work-related fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
The Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A) is compiled from the data on the log. Companies without any injuries and illnesses
should post the summary with zeroes on the total lines. A company executive must certify that they have examined the OSHA 300 Log and that
they reasonably believe that the annual summary is correct and complete.
“This posting requirement is an important way employers keep their employees informed about safety and health conditions in the workplace,”
said Wanda Lagoe, bureau chief of the Education, Training and Technical Assistance Bureau.
Companies that had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year are exempt from keeping injury and illness logs and
posting summaries. Certain businesses classified in a specific low-hazard retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate industry are also exempt
from keeping injury and illness logs and posting summaries unless requested to do so for survey purposes.
For more information about recording criteria or for a list of exempt industries, contact the Education, Training and Technical Assistance Bureau at
1-800-625-2267 or locally at 919-807-2875. To download a free copy of the OSHA 300, OSHA 300A or OSHA 301, as well as recordkeeping
instructions, visit our website at www.nclabor.com, click on the Publications tab, then click on the Forms link.
Posting of Injury and Illness Summary Required
8
By Steve Sykes
State Plan Coordinator
Accident Event: On
Oct. 25, 2010, a 55-year-old
warehouse man died after falling 12 feet to the concrete floor while
retrieving a customer order from a storage location.
Investigative Findings: The deceased was a long-time employee,
having worked 26 years for the company. During that period of time,
he had worked in a number of positions including shift supervisor and
had experience as an “order picker.”
The company had a basic safety and health program that included a
requirement that those employees operating the equipment used for
“order picking” must wear fall protection. Placing the equipment in
the position to secure an item from storage could mean raising the
picker platform to heights from 5 feet to 20 feet. According to company
procedures, those working from the picker platform were required to
utilize a harness so that they would not fall from the platform.
Employee interviews indicated that while there was a rule that
required the use of a harness, this rule was not uniformly enforced.
Some supervisors enforced the rule while others did not. The victim,
a former supervisor, was known not to wear the harness while securing
orders and was not wearing a harness before or at the time of the fatal
fall. It was also reported that at times the harnesses were not always
available on each work shift. At the time of the accident, some of the
lanyards used with the harnesses were stretched and did not provide
maximum protection.
Discussion: In 2012, falls were the second leading cause of death
in the workplace. There were a total of five falls in 2012. This was a
decrease, however, from the 17 total in 2011. Reducing the fall hazard
associated with retrieving stored items continues to be a challenge for
employers. Over the years, the OSH Division has investigated a number
of fatalities associated with merchandise retrieval. This has included
the use of elevated platforms to gain access to storage space and various
types of ladders.
Recommendations:
N An active safety and health program should be developed to address
hazards in the workplace.
N The safety and health program should include procedures for
addressing violations of program requirements, which should be
enforced uniformly.
N Employees should be provided with personal protective equipment
when they are exposed to fall hazards.
N Personal protective equipment should be properly maintained.
Defective or damaged personal protective equipment should not
be used.
N An employee should be retrained when behavior indicates that the
employee does not know how to properly use personal protective
equipment.
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By Val Eucare
Wage and Hour Deputy Administrator
Q: What notices must be given before
an employee is terminated?
A: North Carolina is an employment-at-will state and has no
requirements for notice to an employee prior to termination.
Q: How many hours per day or per week can an employee work?
A: North Carolina does not limit the number of hours per day or
per week that employees aged 16 years and older can be required
to work. There are limits for workers younger than 16 years of
age. For more information, visit our website: www.nclabor.com.
Workplace
Worries By Neal O’Briant
Public Information Officer
Beginning Jan. 3, the N.C. Department of
Labor expanded its Facebook page to include
the entire department. In late 2011, the
department’s Apprenticeship and Training
Bureau began a pilot program with its own
page on Facebook.
“Facebook improved our communication link with our companies
and the general public,” said Kathryn Castelloes, bureau chief of
Apprenticeship and Training. “It has let us get information to them in real
time, and we’ve received positive feedback in response to our posts.”
The success of the Apprenticeship Bureau’s page encouraged
department officials to expand the Facebook page to all divisions and
bureaus of the department. Now, in addition to continued news about
apprenticeship programs and events, we’ll have information about
safety and training classes available through the OSH Division, links
to articles about the department, and photos and videos from events
involving the many different bureaus.
We encourage the public to like us on Facebook, write comments on
our page and help us share information by liking specific posts as well.
NCDOL Expands Facebook Presence
Make safety a priority this year!
Happy 2013!
1-800-625-2267vwww.nclabor.com
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OSH Webinar Courses
Visit the OSH Training Schedule Calendar here to view
upcoming Internet training courses. Upcoming topics
include hazard communication, confined space entry,
hand and power tools, fall protection, personal protective
equipment, and heat stress.
Top Four Hazards in
Construction Industry—
Course in Spanish
Feb. 26 or April 23, Charlotte
Feb. 28 or April 25, Raleigh
Click here for more information.
Mine and Quarry Training
Part 46 New Miner Training
Feb. 19-21, Sanford
March 12-14, Sanford
Part 46 Annual Refresher Training
Feb. 22, Sanford
March 15, Sanford
Part 48 New Miner Training
Feb. 26-28, Greensboro
April 9-11, Wake Forest
Part 48 Annual Refresher Training
Feb. 25, Greensboro
To register for any of these seminars or classes,
contact the Mine and Quarry Bureau at 919-807-2790.
10-Hour Construction Industry
Awareness Courses
March 6-7
Kinston Enterprise Center
Click here for more information.
1-800-625-2267
www.nclabor.com
10-Hour General Industry
Awareness Courses
April 11-12
Wake Tech Business and Industry Center, Cary
Click here for more information.
Charlotte Regional Safety
and Health School
April 4-5
Marriott Executive Park, Charlotte
www.charlottesafetyschool.com
Western Carolina
Safety School
April 11
Crowne Plaza, Hickory
http://wcchapter.asse.org/news.html
Eastern Carolina Safety
and Health School
April 11-12
Riverfront Convention Center, New Bern
www.ecshs.com