Yesterday, OSHA issued guidance aimed at educating workers and employers on how to properly use face coverings at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structured as a series of frequently asked questions with answers, the guidance is the latest word from OSHA on measures workplaces can and should take to protect against the spread of COVID-19. The FAQs begin with a description of the differences between cloth face coverings, surgical masks, and respirators. OSHA makes it…

This is the second of two posts dedicated to reopening plans for manufacturers.  In the first post on May 26, I addressed the first two questions which every manufacturer may wish to ask as it forms its reopening plans.  Manufacturing;  Back to Business (Part One) (May 26, 2020).  Here, I address the next four questions. Which Groups of Workers Will be Brought Back to Work? A particularly complex question, determining which workers will be brought…

The disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic stressed the entire manufacturing sector.  For the most part, manufacturers responded to those challenges quickly and responsibly.  Now that every state has begun reopening, the manufacturing sector will once again be called on to lead.  Manufacturers which respond well to those challenges will thrive in the months ahead. Six Essential Questions Every manufacturer should answer six essential questions.  How manufacturers answer those questions will depend on the needs…

As the country slowly begins the reopening process, OSHA has issued two new guidance documents—an Updated Interim Enforcement Response Plan for COVID-19 and Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19. Both documents go into effect on May 26, 2020, and both replace prior guidance documents adopted by OSHA on these topics. Updated Interim Enforcement Guidance Perhaps not surprisingly, as non-essential business have started to reopen, OSHA is fielding additional COVID-19 related complaints. As…

This week we are pleased to have a guest post from Robert S. Melvin, a member of Robinson+Cole’s Environmental, Energy + Telecommunications Group. Attorney Melvin has over 20 years of experience counseling clients on environmental, health, and safety compliance, sustainability, emergency response efforts, site remediation, and development projects. A wide range of clients benefit from his services, including aerospace and other manufacturers, stone and aggregate producers, metal finishers, municipalities, educational institutions, and water and…

Below in an excerpt from an article authored by Robinson+Cole Business Litigation Group lawyers Kendra L. Berardi and Edward J. Heath that was published in Industry Week. “When demand for an item or service increases in a free market, the price tends to increase accordingly. This can seem particularly true in times of crisis – just ask anyone who recently paid $20 for a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Unfortunately for those entrepreneurs following Winston…

I wanted to share this recent Coronavirus Response Team legal update on M&A authored by Frank W. Eucalitto, Eric M. Kogan, and Leslie J. Levinson from our Business Transactions Group, which includes a short summary of some key areas that buyers and sellers may want to consider addressing.  It is readily apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on transactional activity—at least in the short term—for both buyers and sellers across…