Senate to Vote on Firefighter, Construction Worker Safety Legislation

 Senate to Vote on Firefighter, Construction Worker Safety Legislation  

Bill to help prevent tragedies like 2014 deaths of Boston firefighters 

 

(BOSTON—3/19/2026) The Senate Committee on Ways and Means voted today to advance legislation that supports safety for firefighters and construction workers by tracking code violations around ‘hot work’ such as welding. 

 

The bill, S.1646, aims to help prevent tragedies like the 2014 nine-alarm fire in Boston’s Back Bay that resulted in the deaths of Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward Walsh and Firefighter Michael Kennedy. 

 

It would require the state to track written notices of code violations related to hot work—welding, plasma cutting, and spark-producing construction—and make the information available to the public through an online database and an automated notification system. 

 

The Senate plans to take up the bill at its next session on Monday, March 23, just days before the 12th anniversary of the tragic Back Bay fire, which was started by welding work on a nearby railing. The Senate passed identical legislation in 2024 at the 10th anniversary of the fire. 

 

Sponsored by Senator Nick Collins (D-South Boston), the bill was advanced this session by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security with a 6-0 vote on December 3, 2025, following a public hearing held on May 7, 2025. 

 

All committee votes are publicly posted on the Legislature’s website. Details of legislation up for consideration by the Senate are included in fact sheets available in the Senate press room.