North Carolina's State Plan is run by the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the NC Department of Labor (OSHNC). Its most distinctive rule targets employers with a high workers' comp experience rate modifier: they must have a written safety and health program and, with 11 or more employees, a safety committee with trained members. Here is what the rules say.
Who OSHNC covers
According to OSHA's State Plan page, North Carolina's plan covers private-sector workplaces, with some exceptions; federal employers, including the Postal Service, stay with federal OSHA. Check public-sector coverage with NCDOL.
Who needs a program and a committee
Under the rules in 13 NCAC 07A .0600 and NCDOL's programs and committees page:
- employers with a workers' compensation experience rate modifier of 1.5 or above need a written safety and health program (.0601);
- those with 11 or more employees also need an employee safety and health committee;
- with fewer than 11 employees, a company safety officer is designated instead.
What the written program asks for
- Quarterly inspections with a checklist, kept for at least two years, and an annual self-audit with its results kept at least two years (.0603).
- New employees may not start work until thoroughly trained, except for closely supervised on-the-job training (.0606).
- Training is given by someone trained to recognize, evaluate and control safety and health hazards.
- Committee members are trained in at least hazard identification, accident investigation, their rights and duties, records, the common causes of injuries and the most cited violations.
Where a quiz fits
The rule's "thoroughly trained" before starting work is easier to show with a named quiz result for each new hire, and the committee's own training can end with one too. Federal standards adopted by North Carolina keep their own training duties, for example for forklift operators (29 CFR 1910.178(l)).
A short quiz on the program or the hazards of the job, played live from phones at the end of a session, shows what people actually understood, not only who signed the sheet. When you need evidence, run the same quiz in Test mode (Trainer plan): each worker answers under their own name, you set the pass mark, and you download a PDF learning assessment record with the date, the topic, the trainer, each person's answers and result, and a signature column. It sits next to the training records the state asks for; it does not replace the training, and Quizhat never certifies anyone. Quizhat is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA.
State rules change: read the current text on the state's site, or ask the state agency, before you rely on this summary. NCDOL offers free consultative services and safety training.