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State enforcement profile · #29 of 56 by penalties

Workplace enforcement in North Carolina

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), North Carolina has 6,102 employers in the federal enforcement record, with 7,124 OSHA inspections and $10.7M in penalties assessed. The state's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $73.2M in back wages across 3,450 enforcement cases.

6,102
Employers
7,124
Inspections
$10.7M
OSHA penalties
$73.2M
Back wages

The state in one line

North Carolina ranks #29 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 18,017 violations cited across 7,124 inspections and $73.2M in wages recovered for workers.

#29
of 56 states by penalties
2.53
violations per inspection
$2K
avg penalty per employer
3,450
WHD wage-theft cases

What to check next

North Carolina's enforcement record is one jurisdiction in a national pattern. Treat it as a benchmark to drill down from, not a verdict on the state overall.

  • North Carolina averages 2.53 violations per inspection, above the 2.21 national average across 56 states.
  • See North Carolina's single worst-cited employer in full detail. Lovin Contracting record
  • Compare North Carolina against a similarly-sized state by employer count. Tennessee record
  • Put two employers head-to-head on inspections, penalties, and back wages. Compare employers

What the data says about North Carolina

Federal workplace enforcement in North Carolina covers 6,102 employers with 7,124 total OSHA inspections on record. Inspectors documented 18,017 violations statewide, yielding 2.53 violations per inspection on average. OSHA has assessed $10.7M in penalties against employers in the state, averaging $2K per tracked employer.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) adds a separate enforcement layer, recovering $73.2M in back wages across 3,450 cases - an average of $21K per case. Combined OSHA and WHD enforcement activity gives workers, journalists, and researchers a verifiable record of which employers have been cited and which workplaces regulators have prioritized.

The employers listed on this page represent workplaces with at least two OSHA inspections or $1,000 or more in WHD back wages owed. Data is sourced directly from data.dol.gov. Penalty figures are current assessed amounts, reflecting any settlements, informal conference reductions, or formal contest outcomes. Click any employer below to view their full inspection history, violation breakdown by severity, and wage-compliance record.

How North Carolina compares to similarly-sized states

Total OSHA penalties: states with a similar number of tracked employers

  1. 1
    Ohio $106,180,403
  2. 2
    Georgia $57,227,186
  3. 3
    Tennessee $24,610,636
  4. 4
    Washington $12,220,960
  5. 5
    North Carolina (this state) $10,686,507
  6. 6
    Oregon $5,783,273

Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts · 2026

Where North Carolina ranks nationally

Average OSHA penalty per tracked employer, vs all 56 U.S. jurisdictions

$1,751 Bottom 5% least affordable more affordable than 5% of 56 U.S. jurisdictions

$0–$2,000: 5 U.S. jurisdictions (9%). This entry sits in this band. $2,000–$4,000: 11 U.S. jurisdictions (20%). Above this entry. $4,000–$6,000: 15 U.S. jurisdictions (27%). Above this entry. $6,000–$8,000: 10 U.S. jurisdictions (18%). Above this entry. $8,000–$10,000: 5 U.S. jurisdictions (9%). Above this entry. $10,000–$12,000: 4 U.S. jurisdictions (7%). Above this entry. $12,000–$14,000: 2 U.S. jurisdictions (4%). Above this entry. $14,000–$16,000: 3 U.S. jurisdictions (5%). Above this entry. $16,000–$18,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. $18,000–$20,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. $20,000–$22,000: 1 U.S. jurisdictions (2%). Above this entry. $22,000–$24,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. North Carolina $0 $24,000 every U.S. jurisdiction, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $2K-wide band; taller bars hold more U.S. jurisdictions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts · 2026

Top OSHA & wage enforcement actions in North Carolina

Ranked by combined OSHA penalties and DOL Wage & Hour Division back wages. Some employers below have wage-theft cases with zero OSHA safety violations, or vice versa; check the Inspections/Violations columns before drawing safety conclusions.

# Employer InspectionsViolationsPenalty + wages
1 Lovin Contracting Robbinsville 0 0 $2.0M
2 D2 Government Solutions, LLC New Bern 0 0 $1.7M
3 St. Augustine's University Raleigh 0 0 $986K
4 Lovin Equipment & Sales Robbinsville 0 0 $860K
5 BSH Home Appliances Corp New Bern 0 0 $858K
6 R & R Construction Maintenance Durham 0 0 $838K
7 Bosch Lincolnton 0 0 $606K
8 Unicon Marshville 0 0 $600K
9 San Jose Mexican Restaurants Enterprise Wilson 0 0 $511K
10 The Blue Taj Charlotte 0 0 $444K
11 Bell and Howell, LLC Durham 0 0 $427K
12 Ecolab, Inc. Greensboro 0 0 $425K
13 Crews for You Charlotte 0 0 $419K
14 Latino Group Drywall Conover 0 0 $410K
15 Kingfisher Systems, Inc. Havelock 0 0 $342K
16 Sub-Floor Solutions Indian Trail 0 0 $337K
17 Shark Dreams Raleigh 0 0 $320K
18 Direct ChassisLink Charlotte 0 0 $312K
19 Carolina Installers Raleigh 0 0 $300K
20 Shipman Family Home Care, Inc. Greensboro 0 0 $286K

All employers in North Carolina

Employer CityInspectionsPenalty
Kay Heating & Air Cond., INC. Greensboro 2 $200
Harwood Enterprises DBA Lockmans Body Shop Hickory 2 $200
Textum Weaving, INC. Mount Holly 3 $200
Carolina Casting, INC. High Point 2 $200
Williard Technical Services, INC. High Point 2 $200
Gary S. Jones, D.D.S., P.a. Denver 2 $200
Graystone Family Healthcare, PA Conover 2 $200
Gunter & Graham, DDS, PA Hickory 2 $200
Hunt & Company, INC DBA Chemstation Greensboro 2 $200
Aqua Plastics, INC. Hickory 3 $200
Master Workholding, INC. Morganton 2 $200
Environmental Holdings Group, LLC Charlotte 5 $185
Home Depot U.S.a., INC. Greensboro 2 $180
Wayne County Services on Aging Goldsboro 2 $180
Sally Beauty Supply LLC Asheville 2 $180
Lennar Carolinas, LLC Charlotte 7 $150
Traditions Woodcarvings & Frames, INC. Hickory 2 $150
Pizza Wholesale of Lexington, INC. Claremont 2 $150
KDS Fabrication and Machining Specialties, INC. Hiddenite 2 $150
Smith-Rowe, INC. Greensboro 2 $150
Genesis Auto Body & Paint Denver 2 $150
Titan Fabrication, INC. Gastonia 2 $150
Industrial Metal Craft, INC. Gastonia 3 $150
Independence Village of Winston-Salem Winston-Salem 2 $150
Platinum Detailing, INC. Hickory 2 $150
Eddie Abdul DBA Munchy's Greenville 2 $150
Sunshine Uniform Service, INC. Gastonia 2 $150
Tube Enterprises, INC. Kings Mountain 2 $150
Christian & Associates DBA Color Graphic Raleigh 2 $150
Innovative Construction Group, LLC Rolesville 2 $150
One Hour Martinizing Gastonia 2 $150
Industrial Hard Carbon, LLC Denver 2 $150
Wasmus Construction Company, INC. Charlotte 2 $150
Caring Services, INC. High Point 2 $150
Town of Spindale Spindale 2 $150
Mante Masonry, INC. Durham 2 $150
Jim Barkley Asheville, INC. DBA Jim Barkley Toyota Asheville 2 $150
Lorenzo Martinez DBA Martinez Masonry Asheville 2 $150
Floortech, INC. Charlotte 2 $150
TMS Mechanical LLC Greensboro 2 $150
Maria Cossio DBA Cossio Masonry Greensboro 2 $150
Kumite Enterprises, LLC DBA Raleigh Saw Raleigh 2 $150
B & E Woodturning, INC. Lenoir 2 $150
Forward Ventures, INC DBA Corn Service Company Gastonia 2 $150
Lexington Metal Fabricators, INC. Linwood 2 $150
Shepherd's Landscape Maintenance, LLC Mount Holly 2 $150
Jacobson Warehouse Company, INC. Shelby 2 $150
C & C Precision Machine, INC. Kings Mountain 2 $150
Saffelle, INC. Hillsborough 2 $113
Baker, Dest, Baker & George, DDS, PLLC Kings MT. 2 $100
← Previous Page 101 of 123 Next →

Nearby states by enforcement footprint

Tennessee
6,262 employers · $24.6M
Georgia
6,288 employers · $57.2M
Washington
5,445 employers · $12.2M
Oregon
5,122 employers · $5.8M
Ohio
7,092 employers · $106.2M

Compare top violators in North Carolina side-by-side →

Industries in North Carolina

Enforcement and wage-compliance data broken out by industry sector within North Carolina.

Accommodation & Food ServicesAdministrative & Waste ServicesAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & HuntingArts, Entertainment & RecreationConstructionEducational ServicesFinance & InsuranceHealthcare & Social AssistanceInformationManagement of CompaniesManufacturingMining, Quarrying, Oil & GasOtherOther ServicesProfessional & Technical ServicesPublic AdministrationReal Estate & RentalRetail TradeTransportation & WarehousingUtilitiesWholesale Trade

Top Cities in North Carolina

The 20 cities with the most employers in the federal enforcement record within North Carolina (of 189 total).

Charlotte (772)Raleigh (488)Greensboro (298)Durham (213)Fayetteville (185)Wilmington (142)Winston Salem (124)Asheville (119)High Point (92)Jacksonville (88)Gastonia (82)Cary (75)Hickory (75)Fort Bragg (69)Winston-Salem (67)Mooresville (63)Concord (62)Goldsboro (59)Greenville (52)Monroe (51)

View all 189 cities in North Carolina →

Source: OSHA Enforcement Data, U.S. Department of Labor · Verify with OSHA establishment search →
Source: Wage & Hour Division Compliance Actions, U.S. Department of Labor · DOL WHD data →

Every figure on PlainWorker is rendered directly from official U.S. Department of Labor OSHA and Wage & Hour Division enforcement records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.