NFIB State Director Gregg Thompson says small business owners are concerned about a petition requesting that the North Carolina Department of Labor impose new rules for dealing with future pandemics.

On Jan. 2, the department published a Notice of Text and opened a comment period through March 4, 2024. The rules, outlined in a petition filed by a coalition that includes the state AFL-CIO, Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, and the North Carolina Conference of the NAACP, would require face masks, personal protective equipment, and social distancing standards to protect workers from airborne infectious diseases in any future public health emergency designated by the governor, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other state and federal departments.

Thompson said the proposed requirements would put an unfair burden on North Carolina’s small businesses.

“Small business owners are committed to maintaining a safe environment for their employees and customers,” he said. “The rules under consideration would unfairly drive up the cost of doing business. There’s also concern the rules would create a new cause of action that would expose small businesses to costly litigation for honest mistakes when it comes to compliance.”

“NFIB is monitoring this issue closely and will do everything we can to protect our members against unreasonable rules and regulations,” Thompson said.