Former Democrat Opponent and Union Leader Praises Republican Labor Commissioner Luke Farley For Eliminating “Death Discount”

This week, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced the end of the “Death Discount.” North Carolina’s approach to workplace safety enforcement has mirrored a federal OSHA policy that, in certain tragic cases, reduced penalties after a worker is killed. These reductions were applied based on the size of a business. In some instances, they lowered penalties by as much as 70 percent in cases involving a fatality. 

“When a fatality occurs due to workplace safety failures, our response must reflect the gravity of that loss — fully and without dilution,” Commissioner Luke Farley said. 

The N.C. Department of Labor will no longer apply penalty reductions involving worker  deaths. While acknowledging concerns from small business owners, Commissioner Farley reiterated his support for the small business community and emphasized that compliance assistance — not reduced accountability — is the appropriate path forward.  

“The right way to support small businesses is through education, outreach, and resources that help them operate safely,” Commissioner Farley stated. “Discounting the value of a human life does not serve workers or employers.” 

This policy change secured praise from North Carolina AFL-CIO President Braxton Winston, who was the Democrat nominee who challenged Republican Commissioner Farley in 2024. 

Winston said,”North Carolina’s labor movement strongly agrees with ending the ‘death discount’ on employers fined when their workers die on the job. Those fines are already too low, and Commissioner Luke Farley is right: the loss of human life cannot be discounted. We applaud him and the NC Department of Labor for finding that this shameful practice did nothing to promote justice or accountability and thank him for ending it in North Carolina effective immediately.”