On Monday, May 10, 2021 The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs updated their workplace safety and reopening standards for recreational boating businesses. These updated standards as part of Phase IV, Step 1 for Massachusetts re-opening plan. The updated standards provide guidance on Social Distancing, Hygiene Protocols, Staffing and Operations, and Cleaning and Disinfecting. Furthermore, as part of the Phase IV re-opening Massachusetts has also made changes to safety standards and recommended best practices for restaurants, indoor and outdoor events, retail, and more which also may apply to recreational boating businesses.

Some notable requirements include limiting the capacity of launch boats to 50% of their vessel capacity, the exemption of safety boats from social distancing requirements in the event of an emergency, and that paperwork should be handled electronically to the maximum extent possible.

As spring kicks into full gear and summer is right around the corner, we are hopeful to see updates and changes to workplace safety and reopening standards for recreational boating businesses. As vaccines ramp up and disease numbers go down, we hope that restrictions will continue to loosen to the benefit of our members and recreational boaters. In the meantime, please visit our COVID-19 Resources Page to get advice on various topic such as how to work from home, sell boats safely, and on the remote closing process.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Chad Tokowicz at Chad@mraa.com.