North Carolina employers recognized for safe workplace conditions

While we often hear about the negative sides to workplace safety, North Carolina Department of Labor recently celebrated one county’s companies, which have made workplace safety a top priority. The Labor Commissioner recognized the companies for putting their employees’ health first by doing whatever they can to make sure employees are safe when they return home to their families.

The North Carolina Department of Labor recently unveiled new figures that reveal that workplace fatalities significantly decreased between the years of 2012 and 2013, dropping by over 39 percent. In 2012, 38 fatalities were reported in North Carolina while 23 work-related casualties were reported in 2013. Clearly, many employers are starting to see the importance of maintaining safe environments for their workers.

The Labor Commissioner also noted promising statistics for workplace injuries in North Carolina. “Our injury and illness rate for 100 per full-time workers dropped to 2.9 percent,” she said.

To be eligible to receive an award, all recipients were held to high standards, including holding a record free from fatal accidents. The companies that were recognized clearly care about the lives of their employees and make providing safety equipment, proper training, and ongoing education into a top priority for workers.

It is always a good idea to recognize someone for doing a great job, especially employers who are committed to providing safe workplaces for their employees. However, we should not forget that, by law, employers have an obligation to workers to keep working conditions up-to-code, provide proper safety equipment, and properly train employees to operate machinery.

While accidents do happen, North Carolina has done an excellent job of preventing them. according to the recent statistics. Still, in many cases, workplace injuries and accidents are unavoidable. If you or someone you know has experienced an on-the-job injury, then the consultation of an experienced Charlotte work injury attorney might help you to understand and protect your rights.

Source: The Dispatch, “Labor department honors companies for safety,” Sharon Myers, April 15, 2014