North Carolina Labor Commissioner Larry Dobson said today he had decided not to adopt proposed rules that would create new mandates for employers in the event of another pandemic.

In a statement, Dobson said, “This decision comes after carefully reviewing the rulemaking petitions, the record, public comments, listening to both sides and considering the North Carolina Department of Labor’s statutory authority.”

NFIB opposed the rules, saying they would be unnecessary and burden North Carolina’s small businesses financially.

“Small businesses did everything they could during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health and safety of their customers and employees,” Thompson said. “These proposed mandates, including personal protective equipment and social distancing, are unnecessary and would hurt employers by driving up business costs.

“The mandates also would have created a new cause of action against small businesses,” Thompson said. “If a small business were to slip up and make an honest mistake, it could be targeted by trial lawyers hoping for a quick cash settlement.

“On behalf of our members, I want to thank Commissioner Dobson for making the right decision on this important issue.”