On Wednesday, July 1, the NECA-supported United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) entered into force, marking a new era in North American trade. This final agreement was signed by the three nations on December 10, 2019, and subsequently ratified in the following months.

Throughout much of the U.S., high temperatures and humidity in the summer season can create hot and hazardous working conditions, both outdoors and indoors. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers of their duty to protect employees from the risks and dangers of heat exposure.

NECA has named the following esteemed group of leaders in the electrical construction industry as 2020 national award recipients. They will be honored during the NECA 2020 Live for their outstanding contributions.

On April 2, 2020, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) posted on its website an interim final rule relating to the implementation of sections 1102 and 1106 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act or the Act) (published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2020).

The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, posted a revised, borrower-friendly Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application implementing the PPP Flexibility Act of 2020, signed into law by President Trump on June 5, 2020

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) today announced the 2020 Convention and Trade Show will take place entirely online October 5–7, featuring brand-new virtual experiences. McCormick Place in Chicago, the planned site for the 2020 Convention, informed NECA that it does not have approval at this time to hold the event, and the association is adjusting accordingly.

Solicitor of Labor Kate O’Scannlain and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Loren Sweatt issued the following statement regarding today’s D.C. Circuit Court ruling in In re: “American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, No. 20-1158:”

The meeting will include an update on key OSHA initiatives from Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. The ACCSH will consider and make recommendations for updating the Powered Industrial Trucks standards and the Hazard Communication Standard.

A new study released today finds that composite retirement plans would have fared better during the coronavirus pandemic and related market declines than traditional defined-benefit multi-employer plans, allowing participants to receive higher benefits and attracting more employer participants. The study makes it clear that employees and employers stand to benefit once Congress authorizes the use of composite plans.

June is National Safety Month observed annually by the National Safety Council. NSC is the nation’s leading nonprofit safety advocate, National Safety Month focuses on saving lives and preventing injuries, from the workplace to anyplace.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a webpage with coronavirus-related guidance for construction employers and workers. The guidance includes recommended actions to reduce the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

NECA’s Recognition of Safety Achievement program is an elite safety recognition focused on recognizing thriving companies that excel in multiple areas of their safety and health programs. Member companies that consistently have OSHA recordable injury and fatality rates at levels lower than the industry standard, and implement internal company safety practices above and beyond basic compliance will receive the recognition.

Included is a list of general COVID-19 resources grouped by an agency and additional industry-specific COVID-19 resources grouped by industry. It is intended as a resource and is not comprehensive.

In response to Greater Boston’s critical healthcare needs during the coronavirus pandemic, McDonald Electrical Corp. (MEC), based in Hingham, MA, working in tandem with general contractor, Suffolk Construction, provided fast turnaround electrical installations required in the set-up of temporary medical isolation tent facilities for Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) in Boston and Cambridge.

While in the past contractors were personally responsible for certifying the strength of their cybersecurity protocols that would hold sensitive information associated with DOD projects, the new regulations instituted by the CMMC will require third-party certification (authorized by the CMMC Accreditation Body) of a contractor’s compliance.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides tax credits to reimburse employers for the costs of providing paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave to employees unable to work because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). These credits are refundable. That means if the amount of the credit exceeds the amount of tax owed, the remainder is refunded to the business or organization.

As part of 3M Fall Protections continued commitment to producing high-quality safety and personal protective equipment, they conduct periodic testing of products. Recent testing of specific DBI-SALA® Delta™ & Exofit XP™ Arc Flash harnesses have returned negative test results on some units.

OSHA certifies COVID-19 is a recordable illness in all industries if the standard criteria are present1, but the agency now formally acknowledges “in many instances it remains difficult to determine whether a COVID-19 illness is work-related, especially when an employee has experienced potential exposure both in and out of the workplace.”

NECA recognizes and supports TCC’s recent grassroots campaign. The campaign conveys that reopening, renewing and revitalizing the economy starts with passage of a robust, multi-year transportation bill that creates jobs and keeps goods and services moving to their destinations - now and for decades to come.

ELECTRI International released Pandemics and Construction Productivity: Quantifying the Impact, a critical report on the impact of COVID-19 on cost and schedule in the construction industry. The report evaluates activity from January 6, 2020, to May 8, 2020, tracking pandemic mitigation activity, benchmarking productivity and assessing the impact on businesses and projects.