Caswell County adopts countywide safety and health manual aligned with OSHA rules

The Caswell County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a countywide safety and health manual at its Jan. 5 meeting, aiming to strengthen compliance with federal and state workplace‑safety standards and formalize county procedures.

Miss Williamson, who led the safety committee presentation, told the board the manual establishes roles and expectations for elected officials, management, supervisors, employees and contractors and includes sections on emergency action, personal protective equipment, job‑specific training, incident reporting and OSHA recordkeeping. She said the manual was developed with input from department heads and modeled on policies used by other local governments.

County attorney Ternan said the manual aligns with the North Carolina OSHA Act and relevant administrative rules, citing the North Carolina Administrative Code provisions the county used to verify compliance. He advised the board that emergency purchases or actions taken under the manual would be reviewed under existing state case law and that a post‑facto resolution could be required in certain emergency purchases.

Commissioner Rose moved to adopt the manual as presented; Mister Holt seconded. The board voted in favor and the chair declared the motion carried unanimously.

Adoption means county employees will be required to acknowledge and follow the manual; the county manager said the safety committee will complete formal training before conducting department inspections. Officials said they would present the adoption and the county’s corrective actions at a scheduled meeting with the U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA the following morning.