Category Archives: news

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance for Respiratory Protection During N95 Shortage Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

May 7, 2020 WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued interim enforcement guidance to help combat supply shortages of disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators (N95 FFRs). The action marks the department’s latest step to ensure the availability of respirators and follows President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Making…

SFNE continues to monitor state actions relating to emergency orders.

April 1, 2020 Today we have an update for Maine and Massachusetts. Others will follow as they become available. Please stay safe and well during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Maine Update Governor Janet Mills issued a series of substantial new mandates to protect public health and safety in the face of COVID-19, including a Stay…

DOL Announcement: Families First Coronavirus Response Act Effective on April 1st & Model Notice

This information was provided by Michelle De Oliveira, Esq., Kenney & Sams | March 27 2020 On March 24, 2020, the DOL announced that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will be effective as of April 1st. The statute will be effective through December 31, 2020. This in turn means that employees may be eligible…

Governor Baker Authorizes Construction Work To Resume In Boston And Cambridge; Mayor Walsh Responds, Extending His Order Pausing Non-Essential Construction In Boston

This information was provided by Kenney & Sams | March 26, 2020 Dear Kenney & Sams clients and friends, We write to update you on significant and developing Orders directed at construction in the Commonwealth. Earlier today, Governor Baker issued guidance confirming and clarifying that the Commonwealth’s March 23, 2020 Order “Assuring Continued Operation of Essential Services in the…

2020 Scholarship

SFNE is accepting applications for the 2020 scholarship! The SFNE Scholarship was established to assist qualified students and to encourage interest in the fabricated structural steel construction industry. SFNE will award two $1,000 scholarships.  The deadline to apply is extended April 10, 2020. The winners will be announced on May 15, 2020. The scholarship is…

​All Regular Construction Activity Suspended in Boston

​Written by Ross C. Wecker, Director, Kenney & Sams, P.C. | March 17, 2020 Kenney & Sams, P.C. hopes that this message finds you, your families and colleagues in good health and safe circumstances. The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak continues to reshape all of our lives and our models of doing business. In particular, the decision by…

AISC Cancels 2020 NASCC: The Steel Conference Due to Coronavirus Threat

Mar. 15, 2020 – “Just as the design community and construction industry turns toward AISC for reliable information and advice on steel design and construction, we turn to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for health information and advice on dealing with the coronavirus,” said Scott Melnick, AISC’s senior vice president and the administrator…

​Coronavirus: What All Employers Should Know

​The following was provided by Kenney & Sams. It was written by Michelle De Oliveira. ​The apparent spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) is generating concerns in the workplace and employers have questions, understandably so. As of March 11, 2020, the CDC has reported 938 cases of COVID-19 in 39 states nationwide, along with 29 deaths.[1]  This article is designed…

ITC Makes Negative Final Determination in Trade Cases

February 26, 2020 In a 3-2 vote today, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a final determination that dumped and subsidized fabricated structural steel (FSS) imports from Canada, China, and Mexico do not materially injure or threaten with material injury the domestic fabricated structural steel industry. On February 4, 2019, AISC filed petitions with…

Commerce Finds Evidence of Dumping in AISC Trade Case

The U.S. Department of Commerce has found evidence that China, Canada, and Mexico have been dumping fabricated structural steel into the U.S. market.  On Friday, January 24, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a press release announcing its findings on AISC’s trade case involving unfairly traded fabricated structural steel from China, Canada, and Mexico. The ruling is…