Berry responds

Twenty years after North Carolina's deadliest workplace disaster, state officials overhauled N.C. OSHA and expanded it into one of the nation's largest workplace safety programs.

Now, however, there are signs that the safety focus has waned. Safety inspections and citations are at their lowest level in years.

In response to the Observer's questions, N.C. Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry provided this written statement.

- Ames Alexander