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4 <br /> significant chemical spills or leaks at Carolina Star sites according to established agency <br /> procedures. <br /> Participation in any of the programs does not diminish existing employer and employee <br /> responsibilities and rights under the act. In particular,'OSHNC does not intend to increase <br /> the liability of any party at an approved Carolina Star site. Employees or any <br /> representatives of employees taking part in an OSHNC-approved Carolina Star safety and <br /> health program do not assume the employer's statutory or common law responsibilities for <br /> providing safe and healthful workplaces; nor are employees and their representatives <br /> expected to guarantee a safe and healthful work environment. <br /> The programs included in Carolina Star are voluntary in the sense that no employer is <br /> required to participate, and any employer may choose to apply. Compliance with OSHNC <br /> rules and applicable laws remains mandatory. Initial achievement and then continuing <br /> maintenance of the Carolina Star requirements are conditions of participation. <br /> The commissioner of labor determines both approval for initial participation and <br /> advancement,in the Carolina Star Programs and any termination from the programs. <br /> B. Program Description <br /> The Carolina Star Programs emphasize the importance of comprehensive worksite safety <br /> and health programs--safety and health management systems--in meeting the goal of the <br /> act: "to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women." This <br /> emphasis is demonstrated through assistance to employers in their efforts to reach the <br /> Carolina.Star Program level of excellence;through cooperation among government, labor, <br /> and management to resolve safety and health problems; and through official recognition of <br /> excellent safety and health programs. Carolina Star sites are not expected to be perfect, <br /> but they are expected to effectively protect their workers from the hazards of the <br /> workplace through their safety and health programs. <br /> They do this by meeting established,rigorous safety and health program management <br /> criteria. Carolina Star consists of three programs: Carolina Star,Rising Star, and <br /> Building Star. The Carolina Star Program recognizes worksites that are self-sufficient in <br /> their ability to control hazards at the worksite. The Rising Star Program recognizes <br /> worksites that have good safety and health programs but must take additional steps to <br /> reach Carolina Star quality. The Building Star Program recognizes construction <br /> worksites that have Carolina Star quality safety and health programs but require <br /> demonstration of approaches that differ from current Carolina Star requirements. <br /> When OSHNC approves an applicant for participation u the Carolina Star Programs, the <br /> agency recognizes that the applicant is providing, at a minimum, the basic elements of <br /> ongoing, systematic protection of workers at the site in accordance with rigorous Carolina <br /> 3-2 <br />