Occupational Safety and Health

The OSH Division is divided into five main bureaus:

Agricultural Safety and Health Bureau (ASH)
The bureau conducts preoccupancy inspections for migrant labor camps and conducts other inspections to ensure compliance with applicable agricultural safety and health standards

Compliance Bureau
The bureau conducts random inspections of North Carolina businesses to ensure compliance with applicable workplace safety and health standards. The bureau manages the OSH Complaint Desk that processes work-related safety and health concerns.

Consultative Services Bureau
The bureau provides free on-site consultation upon employer request to help employers comply with workplace safety and health standards. The bureau also administers the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) that recognizes small to mid-size businesses that establish and maintain effective safety programs.

Education, Training and Technical Assistance (ETTA)
The bureau coordinates and conducts various outreach programs such as safety and health schools and workshops, speaking engagements, training events, and booth displays. The bureau reviews the federal standards for state adoption, coordinates state-specific rulemaking activities, distributes OSH publications, and provides written, electronic or telephone interpretive guidance to employers and employees and processes variance requests. The bureau also administers library services and two recognition programs, the Carolina Star Program and the Safety Awards Program, that acknowledge businesses with exemplary safety and health programs.

Planning, Statistics and Information Management (PSIM)
The bureau provides statistical data about North Carolina employers. The bureau produces several annual statistical documents and manages inspection case file disclosures.