Last week, the French government requested that Apple stop selling the iPhone 12 model because of excessive radiation detected during recent tests. The Agence National des Fréquences [ANFR] stated that “…Apple must immediately take all measures to prevent the availability on the market of the phones concerned present in the supply chain. Regarding phones already sold, Apple must take corrective measures as soon as possible to make the phones concerned compliant. Otherwise, it will be up to Apple to recall them.”
Showing posts sorted by date for query cell phone. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query cell phone. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
NJ Governor Declares State of Emergency in Advance of Winter Storm
NJ Governor Murphy has declared that all State offices will close at 1pm on December 16, 2020 due to inclement weather conditions. Personnel who are not designated as weather essential should go home and continue to work their regular shift via telework.
Saturday, February 15, 2020
The Compensability of a Cellphone Radiation Exposure
A pending case in California may have significant impact on potential workers’ compensation claims throughout the country. The case involves the causal relationship of radio frequency [RF] radiation emitted by cellphones and human cancer. Cohen v. Apple, Inc., et. al, Case 5:19-cv-05322 (Filed 08/23/19) USDCT-North District California - San Jose Division.
Friday, November 2, 2018
The Evidence Mounts on the Causal Link of Cell Phones and Cancer
The US National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences [NIH} has just published a final report linking cell phone radiation exposure to the production of tumors in mice. This animal study that confirms the causal relationship between radio frequency radiation of cell phones and cancer in animals is a significant step forward to establishing a causal relationship in humans.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Made by a robot...driven by a computer
The workers' compensation scheme is being challenged to potential extinction by the workplace in which it was created decades ago. Stressed by economic challenges that have been fueled by globalization and technology, workers' compensation benefit programs are now being dismantled by historic reforms that attack the core philosophical principles of its very existence.
The evolving dynamic of the world's automobile industry provides a focus on the new economy where goods are made by robots and operated by a computer.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Radiation Exposure: Major New Study Links Cell Phone Exposure to Cancer in Rats
A new study conducted by the US National Toxicology Program has linked radiation from cell phone exposure to cancer in rats. This report reignites the controversy that was sparked by earlier scientific research of the positive causal relationship. Those studies were downplayed by the Industry. Workplace exposures may ultimately result in in a surge of disease and an epidemic of workers' compensation claims in the near future.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Workers' Exposure to Low Dose Radiation Linked to Leukemia and Lymphoma
Workers exposed to low doses of radiation have been reported to experience an increased risk to Leukemia and Lymphoma.
A study published in The Lancet reports strong evidence of positive associations between protracted low-dose radiation exposure and leukemia.
Evidence before this study:
Ionising radiation causes leukaemia. The primary quantitative basis for radiation protection standards comes from studies of populations exposed to acute, high doses of ionising radiation. Although previous studies of nuclear workers addressed leukaemia radiogenicity, questions remain about the size of the risk from protracted radiation exposure in occupational settings.
Added value of this study:
We report a positive dose–response relationship between cumulative, external, protracted, low-dose exposure to ionising radiation, and subsequent death caused by leukeamia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukaemia). The risk coefficient per unit dose was consistent with those derived from analyses of other populations exposed to higher radiation doses and dose rates.
Implications of all the available evidence:
The present study provides strong evidence of a positive association between radiation exposure and leukaemia even for low-dose exposure. This finding shows the importance of adherence to the basic principles of radiation protection—to optimise protection to reduce exposures as much as reasonably achievable and—in the case of patient exposure—to justify that the exposure does more good than harm.
A study published in The Lancet reports strong evidence of positive associations between protracted low-dose radiation exposure and leukemia.
Evidence before this study:
Ionising radiation causes leukaemia. The primary quantitative basis for radiation protection standards comes from studies of populations exposed to acute, high doses of ionising radiation. Although previous studies of nuclear workers addressed leukaemia radiogenicity, questions remain about the size of the risk from protracted radiation exposure in occupational settings.
Added value of this study:
We report a positive dose–response relationship between cumulative, external, protracted, low-dose exposure to ionising radiation, and subsequent death caused by leukeamia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukaemia). The risk coefficient per unit dose was consistent with those derived from analyses of other populations exposed to higher radiation doses and dose rates.
Implications of all the available evidence:
The present study provides strong evidence of a positive association between radiation exposure and leukaemia even for low-dose exposure. This finding shows the importance of adherence to the basic principles of radiation protection—to optimise protection to reduce exposures as much as reasonably achievable and—in the case of patient exposure—to justify that the exposure does more good than harm.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
New Drugs to Treat Hearing Loss and Ear Disorders
A multitude of workers have occupational hearing losses induced by either sudden trauma or prolonged occupational exposures to loud noise. Some workers have hearing losses associated with age and fail to address the issue and create a potential safety concern in the workplace. In the past many have gone undetected and/or treated.
Workers' Compensation insurance provides for benefits for hearing losses and disorders associated with both traumatic (sudden) and occupational (exposure to loud noise) hearing losses occurring in the workplace. The insurance also allows workers to obtain hearing aids, treatment and medication(s).
Many of these conditions are not diagnosed or treated at an early stage for lack of attention. This is changing because of recent changes in medical delivery associated with the Affordable Care Act and Medicare. The new laws will afford millions a new opportunity to be diagnosed and treated.
Recent developments in pharmaceutical medicine may allow for restoration of hearing losses as well elimination of associated tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears. Today's post is shared from nytimes.com/
Workers' Compensation insurance provides for benefits for hearing losses and disorders associated with both traumatic (sudden) and occupational (exposure to loud noise) hearing losses occurring in the workplace. The insurance also allows workers to obtain hearing aids, treatment and medication(s).
Many of these conditions are not diagnosed or treated at an early stage for lack of attention. This is changing because of recent changes in medical delivery associated with the Affordable Care Act and Medicare. The new laws will afford millions a new opportunity to be diagnosed and treated.
Recent developments in pharmaceutical medicine may allow for restoration of hearing losses as well elimination of associated tinnitus, commonly known as ringing in the ears. Today's post is shared from nytimes.com/
Friday, November 21, 2014
Distracted Drivers and Rising Workers’ Comp Claims
 Such accidents are among the leading causes of high-severity Workers’ Compensation injuries. According to the National Safety Council, the average work-related motor vehicle injury claim costs an average of $69,206. That’s double the cost of other work-related injuries. The lack of training in safe driving techniques is a primary factor of work-related driving accidents. But you can’t have this discussion without putting particular focus on distracted drivers. A distracted driver is one who is engaged in any activity that diverts his or her attention from the primary task of driving. All distractions put drivers, passengers, and bystanders at risk. Common activities that cause driver distractions are, in no particular order:
Who are these distracted drivers?It’s been proven that the visual, manual, and cognitive attention required for text messaging makes it the most dangerous driving distraction. How likely is it that you or your employees could be included in the following statistics and facts below?
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Tuesday, August 12, 2014
The Trucking Industry Needs More Drivers. Maybe It Needs to Pay More.
| Swift Transportation’s 20,000 workers haul goods in almost 14,000 big-rig trucks that travel the interstates and back roads of the United States every day. The company’s performance is closely tied to the nation’s economy, which has been looking increasingly sunny lately. So it was surprising last month when Swift’s stock plummeted nearly 18 percent in a single day. The tumble came for an odd reason. It wasn’t because there was too little business — but rather, too much. “We were constrained by the challenging driver market,” the company said in its quarterly earnings announcement. “Our driver turnover and unseated truck count were higher than anticipated.” In other words, Swift had plenty of customers wanting to ship goods. But in a time of elevated unemployment, it somehow couldn’t find enough drivers to take those goods from Point A to Point B. How is that possible? The reasons for that conundrum tell us a great deal about what has been ailing American workers and why a full-throated economic recovery has been so slow in coming. Consider this: The American Trucking Associations has estimated that there was a shortage of 30,000 qualified drivers earlier this year, a number on track to rise to 200,000 over the next decade. Trucking companies are turning down business for want of workers. Yet the idea that there is a huge shortage of truck drivers flies in the face of a jobless rate of more than 6 percent, not to... |
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
House Passes Wasserman Schultz Longshore Harbor Workers' Compensation Clarification Act: Protecting Jobs and Keeping Workers Covered
| Washington, D.C.– The Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Clarification Act, introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), and passed by the House of Representatives today, reinstated congressional intent to ensure that workers in the recreational marine repair industry have adequate workers’ compensation coverage. This legislation provides a more clear definition of a recreational vessel which allows small businesses in the marine repair industry to forgo duplicative insurance policies while ensuring these small businesses, 95% of which have fewer than 10 employees, can adequately protect their employees without incurring exorbitant costs. In 2009, Congress passed Section 803 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which expanded an existing exception that allowed more recreational marine repair workers to receive workers’ compensation coverage under state law rather than under the Longshore Harbor Workers Compensation Act. This was necessary because repair workers were simply not buying the more expensive longshore policies and were thus left uncovered. Unfortunately, new regulations were issued in 2011 that adopted a definition of a recreational vessel that was far more complicated and onerous than the existing law. In doing so, this new regulatory definition ran counter to what Congress intended. The Longshore Harbor Workers’ Compensation Clarification Act establishes a workable definition for a recreational... |
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Sleep Experts Say Bosses Should Let Their Employees Take A Nap At Work To Boost Productivity
 Experts say employees should be allowed to take a nap at work. Reuters Todays' post is shared from medicaldaily.com Fatigue is inevitable during any long work day, and sometimes coffee is just not enough to get most people through their midday slump. British sleep experts are now saying that bosses should allow their employees a nap during the day and the option to make their own schedule to help increase productivity. Millions of people fail to get enough sleep during their week and are forced to compensate over the weekend when their work has already suffered. “It’s best to give your brain downtime,” Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London told Cheltenham Science Festival. “I have a nap every afternoon. It’s only since the industrial revolution we have been obsessed with squeezing all our sleep into the night rather than having one or two sleeps through the day.” A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health revealed that around 41 million American workers are not getting the seven to nine hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep deprivation is putting these people and their co-workers in danger of serious injury or death. Walsh says our obsession with sleeping only at night may be hindering our ability to be more creative. Most of our creative thoughts come to us during periods of relaxation when the brain makes new... |
Monday, June 23, 2014
Trucking Lobby Blocking Safety Legislation
While serious transportation work-related accidents raise public attention for increased efforts to rein in unsafe transportation issues, the strong and effective trucking lobby has created a road block for reform. Today's post is shared from northjersey.com
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
| Democrat Cory Booker is waging his first floor fight in the U.S. Senate, taking on colleagues in both parties who want to suspend regulations specifying how much rest truck drivers should get each week. The issue drew attention because of the high-profile crash involving comedian Tracy Morgan on the New Jersey Turnpike this month, but it is also so closely identified with Booker’s predecessor, Sen. Frank Lautenberg, that a safety-advocacy group named a “congressional courage” award after Lautenberg last week. Booker, who filled Lautenberg’s term after he died last year, was also assigned to Lautenberg’s spot on the subcommittee that regulates federal highways and the trucks and buses that use them. It’s natural, he said, for someone coming from such a congested state to make regulating large trucks a priority. “New Jersey sent me down to fight New Jersey’s fight, and this is a New Jersey fight,” Booker said. It’s a fight he may not win, however. The trucking industry spends an average of $5 million on contributions to members of Congress during every two-year campaign cycle — Booker himself got $2,000 — and $10 million more... |
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
2 Executives Leave G.M. After Wide-Ranging Recall
DETROIT — In the first major shake-up of General Motors’ senior management since the company announced a wide-ranging recall in February, its chief spokesman and head Washington adviser, and its top human resources executive have left the company.
Selim Bingol, G.M.’s senior vice president for global communications and public policy, was part of the inner circle of Mary T. Barra, the automaker’s chief executive, handling strategy and the public response to the recall of nearly 2.6 million cars. The company announced his departure on Monday, along with that of Melissa Howell, senior vice president for global human resources. It did not say whether Mr. Bingol or Ms. Howell had resigned or if they were dismissed.
The departures are the first major executive changes under Ms. Barra, who took over in January.
Greg Martin, a company spokesman, said the departures were unrelated to the recall of Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars for defective ignition switches that are prone to turn off, shutting the engine and disabling the air bags. The company has linked the defect to 13 deaths.While Ms. Barra was expected to make management changes to reflect her strategic direction, the departures coincide with harsh criticism of how the company has handled the recalls.
Lawmakers have been particularly critical of Ms. Barra’s unwillingness to answer questions at congressional hearings on why G.M. waited more than a decade to address the...
{Click here to see the rest of this post]
Selim Bingol, G.M.’s senior vice president for global communications and public policy, was part of the inner circle of Mary T. Barra, the automaker’s chief executive, handling strategy and the public response to the recall of nearly 2.6 million cars. The company announced his departure on Monday, along with that of Melissa Howell, senior vice president for global human resources. It did not say whether Mr. Bingol or Ms. Howell had resigned or if they were dismissed.
The departures are the first major executive changes under Ms. Barra, who took over in January.
Greg Martin, a company spokesman, said the departures were unrelated to the recall of Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars for defective ignition switches that are prone to turn off, shutting the engine and disabling the air bags. The company has linked the defect to 13 deaths.While Ms. Barra was expected to make management changes to reflect her strategic direction, the departures coincide with harsh criticism of how the company has handled the recalls.
Lawmakers have been particularly critical of Ms. Barra’s unwillingness to answer questions at congressional hearings on why G.M. waited more than a decade to address the...
{Click here to see the rest of this post]
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Corporate Conspiracy: Has Anything Really Changed?
Apr 07, 2014
All intentionally done to avoid corporate liability within the nation's civil justice system. Fortunately, the Courts balanced the playing field, and expanded benefits for injured workers and their families into a most realistic realm ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Workers' Compensation: Corporate Liability: Halliburton ...
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The US Department of Justice has announced that Halliburton Corporate Services has pleaded guilty to destroying evidence arising out of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the US Gulf of Mexico.
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Lloyds Report Targets Potential Cell Phone Liability
Nov 16, 2010
... the Lloyds report compares the legal consequences of asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma and analyzes the complicity and enormous liability that resulted from corporate concealment and conspiracy.
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Corporate Conspiracy: Has Anything Really Changed?
Apr 07, 2014
All intentionally done to avoid corporate liability within the nation's civil justice system. Fortunately, the Courts balanced the playing field, and expanded benefits for injured workers and their families into a most realistic realm ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Workers' Compensation: Corporate Liability: Halliburton ...
Jul 27, 2013
The US Department of Justice has announced that Halliburton Corporate Services has pleaded guilty to destroying evidence arising out of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that occurred in the US Gulf of Mexico.
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Workers' Compensation: Exclusivity Doctrine Shields an ...
Apr 09, 2010
When a corporate entity is simultaneously an employer and a manufacturer of harmful products, workers' compensation serves to limit its tort liability with respect to its employees." Shamir v. Agilent, et al., MDL 875, Civil Action ...
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Lloyds Report Targets Potential Cell Phone Liability
Nov 16, 2010
... the Lloyds report compares the legal consequences of asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma and analyzes the complicity and enormous liability that resulted from corporate concealment and conspiracy.
http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 14, 2014
Distracted Driving - Time To Revisit Compensability Issues
Acting Attorney General John Hoffman today announced the staggering toll driver inattention has taken on New Jersey’s roadways in the past 10 years, declaring that the State experienced a “distracted driving decade” and that an ongoing law enforcement initiative is working to help end the crisis.
From 2004 to 2013, driver inattention was a major contributing circumstance in 1.4 million crashes in New Jersey – that is about half of the total crashes in the state in that period. Distraction was the number one contributing circumstance in total crashes. And in one decade (2003-2012), more than 1,600 people have been killed in crashes where driver inattention was a major contributing factor.
“The numbers tell the sad truth: we are in the midst of a surge in driver inattention, and crash statistics bear out that we can characterize the last 10 years simply as ‘New Jersey’s Distracted Driving Decade,’” said Hoffman. “What is perhaps most troubling about these numbers is that the issue of distracted driving seems to be getting progressively worse. Our research indicates that while crashes and fatalities are trending downward as a whole, the number and proportion of distracted crashes are rising.”
At the beginning of the “Distracted Driving Decade” in 2004, driver inattention was cited as a major contributing circumstance in 42 percent of crashes. But that number has risen in those 10 years and last year it peaked at 53 percent. And the proportion of distracted crashes has surged 26 percent in that time span.
“In recent years smartphones and other devices have become more sophisticated and it’s clear to most of us that they’re being used more by drivers,” said Acting Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety Gary Poedubicky. “Though the overall picture of road safety is brightening, one cannot help but conclude that there is an increasing addiction to distraction for drivers. We need to put an end to the epidemic of driver inattention and close the book on the ‘Distracted Driving Decade.’”
In an effort to stop distracted driving, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety has for the first time made funds available to law enforcement agencies for a statewide crackdown on motorists who are using a handheld device while driving, which is illegal in New Jersey. Sixty police departments received $5,000 each for the campaign called U Drive. U Text. U Pay. and the funds will be used to pay for checkpoints and increased patrols. Many more enforcement agencies are also expected to participate unfunded in the initiative, which was funded and developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
About halfway through the three-week campaign, which runs from April 1 to 21, the funded departments have issued an estimated 3,000 summonses for cell phone and electronic device violations.
“People need to know that we are serious about stopping this deadly behavior,” said NHTSA Region 2 Administrator Thomas M. Louizou. “Using a handheld phone and texting has reached epidemic levels. When you text or talk on the phone while driving, you take your focus off the road. That puts everyone else’s lives in danger, and no one has the right to do that.”
The crackdowns are similar in scope to the Drive Sober, or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket mobilizations, which have targeted impaired driving and seat belt usage, respectively. Louizou said the successes of those programs have proven that the combination of tough laws, targeted advertising, and high-visibility enforcement can change people’s risky traffic safety behaviors.
To see a list of agencies receiving funding for this initiative please visit:www.nj.gov/oag/hts/downloads/UDUTUP_2014_Grant_Recipients.pdf
This increased police presence on the roads will soon be paired with stepped up penalties for breaking the State’s primary cell phone law. Currently, motorists violating New Jersey’s primary cell phone law face a $100 fine plus court costs and fees. Because of a new law signed by Governor Chris Christie last year, penalties for that transgression will get stiffer. On July 1, those penalties will rise to a range of $200 to $400 for a first offense, $400 to $600 for a second, and up to $800 and three insurance points for subsequent violations. These changes follow the adoption in 2012 of the “Kulesh, Kubert and Bolis Law.” Under that law, proof that a defendant was operating a hand-held wireless telephone while driving a motor vehicle may give rise to the presumption that the defendant was engaged in reckless driving. Prosecutors are empowered to charge the offender with committing vehicular homicide or assault when an accident occurs from reckless driving.
Joining Acting Attorney General Hoffman’s call to end distracted driving was Gabriel Hurley. Hurley, 29, was severely injured in a 2009 crash that left him blind and with extensive damage to his face and skull. Hurley sustained his injuries when an oncoming car collided into an underpass while he was entering it. The impact caused the other car’s air-conditioning compressor to come flying into his windshield. Hurley, of Middlesex, said he believed the 17-year-old driver had been inattentive behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
After an extensive recovery period, which included more than a dozen facial reconstructive surgeries, he began a career as a safe driving advocate and has spoken to thousands of drivers, most of them in high school, about the consequences of reckless and inattentive driving.
“The course of my life was altered in that crash,” Hurley said. “I have lost my sense of sight and smell and suffered other physical and emotional damage. However, I believe what happened gave me a purpose to tell everyone that crashes like mine are preventable and we can stop them by simply focusing on the task at hand when we’re behind the wheel.”
Read more about distracted driving:
Apr 10, 2014
Stay Alert and Avoid Distracted Driving – Work zones present extra challenges and obstacles. Motorists need to pay attention to the road and their surroundings. – Schedule your trip with plenty of extra time. Expect delays and ...
Apr 18, 2011
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May 29, 2013
Transportation accidents rank on the top of the list for worker fatalities. Now the federal government is attempting to reduce that number by restricting distractions while driving.driving. Voluntary guidelines reduce ...
Jun 13, 2013
Transportation (DOT) have made major efforts over the last few years to target distracted driving as a major safety issue to avoid serious accidents and ultimately save lives and reduce insurance costs. The DOT reports ...
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Textual Despondency
No, this is NOT an April fool's joke. Texting is a major problem and a major distraction from the focus of work. Even if occurring within the scope of employment, it is still a major factor in concentration and is therefore a safety concern. Today's guest post is from David Paolo.
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
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This condition reportedly has been a "world wide health concern" since around 2011 when conditions associated with excessive cell phone usage for texting and other mobile communications activities other than a phone call were starting to be identified. A couple of weeks ago I was in San Francisco for the California Workers' Compensation Institute's annual meeting. San Francisco must be the leading city where this "condition" could be studied. I was astounded at how many people walk around that town with their necks bent towards the ground, small devices in hand, paying zero attention to where they are, where they're going, or anyone or anything around them. The number of people with zero spatial orientation or situational awareness as a result of profound hand-held device distraction was amazing to me. Even in the elevator of the hotel where normally cellular signals aren't strong, if existent at all, a couple of gentlemen occupied the car as I got on heading to upper floors; they both were completely immersed in their devices. They did not look up, acknowledge my presence in any way or even acknowledge each other. We got to the seventh floor and, without even a short little glance above the screen in his hand held one fellow starts toward the open doors and says, I presume to the other guy in the elevator, "see you at dinner." The other guy, likewise, did not take his stare off the screen of his hand held device, thumb busy scrambling... |
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Nov 03, 2013
Lost in the clamor for stricter distracted-driving laws, a study from April 2013 found discouraging patterns in the relationship between texting bans and traffic fatalities. As one might expect, single occupant vehicle crashes dip ...
Oct 23, 2013
... drive on the roads. While the Federal government has strictly enforced the no texting while driving rule, the states maintain a patchwork of confusing regulations and statutory prohibitions. Today's post is shared from nj.com.
Oct 01, 2013
Andrew M. Cuomo revealed a plan to put "texting zones" on the New York State Thruway and state highways, where drivers can pull over and respond to text messages. This is, in part, a response to the fact that New York has ...
Aug 30, 2013
who is texting from a location remote from the driver of a motor vehicle can be liable to persons injured because the driver was distracted by the text. We hold that the sender of a text message can potentially be liable if an ...
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Living with Safety this Thanksgiving
Motor vehicle accidents are among the highest causes of injuries to workers. The suggestions issued by the NJ State Police provide a helpful guidance for a safe Thanksgiving Day Weekend.Today's post is shared from njsp.org.
The weather is getting nasty just in time for the busiest travel holiday of the year. With a little planning and a focus on safety, you can make your Thanksgiving travels the most uneventful of your holiday activities. When gearing up for your trip, prepare for winter even though the calendar still says fall. That means filling your tank, checking your tire pressure and wiper blades, and packing a blanket, snacks & water in case of a breakdown. And to keep your blood pressure in check, just leave early because your trip will take much longer than usual because of traffic and road conditions.
In relation to roadway safety, the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday was no reason to celebrate in New Jersey with eight fatal accidents and 10 deaths over the holiday period. Alcohol or drugs was a factor in six of those fatalities. Four of those killed were pedestrians. These are sobering statistics that we do not want to repeat this year.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re driving five minutes up the road or through several states, the basics of safety remain the same,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Troopers and other law enforcement officers will have zero tolerance for those who create dangers on the roads.”
Distracted driving and aggressive driving are at the top of the list for causing motor vehicle crashes. Troopers will be using a variety of marked and unmarked vehicles to look for texting drivers, unbelted occupants (especially children), speeders, and of course, intoxicated drivers.
New Jersey’s “Move Over” law is still unheeded by many drivers. This law helps protect roadside emergency workers and vehicles including police, fire, medical services, highway maintenance, tow trucks, and official motorist aid vehicles displaying amber, red, or blue emergency lights. Where possible, drivers are required to move over to create an empty lane next to the emergency vehicle. When safely changing lanes is not possible, drivers must slow down below the posted speed limit prior to passing emergency vehicles. Drivers should also be prepared to stop, if necessary.
Increase your travel safety by using these common sense tips:
- Make sure your cell phone is fully charged
- Carry a flashlight with new batteries.
- Bring bottles of water and snacks such as protein bars.
- Insist that all vehicle occupants use seatbelts.
- Don’t drive drowsy. The symptoms of driving tired are similar to those of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Make sure you get enough rest. Use service areas to pull over, stretch your legs, or grab a cup of coffee.
- Steer clear of “road ragers.” Challenging an aggressive driver for a position is a dangerous way to get to your destination a few seconds sooner.
- Use a designated driver. If alcohol figures into your Thanksgiving plans, plan to have one driver stay sober.
- Prepare before you drive. Map your route; fill your tank; check your tire pressure, lights and wiper blades. These simple steps may save you more than just time on the highways.
More than 100 additional state troopers will be supplementing the usual patrols. These troopers are looking for specific violations that lead to crashes, including driving while intoxicated, aggressive driving, and using handheld phones/tablets.
The official Thanksgiving driving period begins at 6:00 p.m. on November 27, and runs through 6:00 a.m. on December 2.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Neuroscience may offer hope to millions robbed of silence by tinnitus
Occupational and traumatic hearing loss claims usually have a "tinnitus component" in measurable disability as a compensable portion of the award. Today's post is shared from pbs.org . On Easter Sunday in 2008, the phantom noises in Robert De Mong’s head dropped in volume -- for about 15 minutes. For the first time in months, he experienced relief, enough at least to remember what silence was like. And then they returned, fierce as ever. It was six months earlier that the 66-year-old electrical engineer first awoke to a dissonant clamor in his head. There was a howling sound, a fingernails-on-a-chalkboard sound, “brain zaps” that hurt like a headache and a high frequency "tinkle" noise, like musicians hitting triangles in an orchestra. Many have since disappeared, but two especially stubborn noises remain. One he describes as monkeys banging on symbols. Another resembles frying eggs and the hissing of high voltage power lines. He hears those sounds every moment of every day. De Mong was diagnosed in 2007 with tinnitus, a condition that causes a phantom ringing, buzzing or roaring in the ears, perceived as external noise. When the sounds first appeared, they did so as if from a void, he said. No loud noise trauma had preceded the tinnitus, as it does for some sufferers -- it was suddenly just there. And the noises haunted him, robbed him of sleep and fueled a deep depression. He lost interest in his favorite hobby: tinkering with his ‘78 Trans Am and his two Corvettes. He stopped going into work. |
Monday, November 4, 2013
Truck driver was looking at phone in deadly crash
Distracted driving continues to be a constant cause of accidents in the workplace. Workers' compensation laws and policies have not been modified to encourage the non-use of cellphones. Federal legislation on the other hand outlaws their use. Today's post is shared from azcentral.com
The semi-truck that crashed into several police and fire vehicles, killing an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer in early May, was “tossing cars around like they were toys,” according to one witness statement.
Officer Tim Huffman, 47, was killed on May 6 while investigating an earlier crash on Interstate 8, about 40 miles east of Yuma. An 18-wheeler driven by Jorge Espinoza, 33, had plowed into Huffman’s patrol car and several other vehicles at about 5 p.m.
Espinoza, who faces 20 felony charges including second-degree murder, was on his cell phone at the time of the collision, according to 600 pages of case files obtained by The Arizona Republic on Friday.
The documents and a video from an in-dash camera revealed that Espinoza was on Facebook looking at pictures of provocatively dressed women at the time of the wreck.
Espinoza, who pleaded not guilty in June, told police he was looking over his shoulder at a passing truck when suddenly he felt the violent jolt from the crash. Espinoza was not injured.
He told police he never saw the multiple DPS and fire department vehicles on the roadway, or an officer frantically waving his arms trying to get his attention before he jumped out of the way.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Today's Nobel Prize Winner Had His Research Funding Cut By The NIH
Protecting workers from disease is crucial. Medical monitoring and medical research are crucial factors to saving lives and lowering costs. This morning, James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas Sudhof got phone calls from Geneva. They learned that their basic research into how cells work gained them the recognition from the Nobel Committee for the 2013 Nobel Prize In Medicine Or Physiology.
Their prize is the example of how basic research into the nature of the world around us is can be incredibly important in treating disease. These tiny actions of a normally functioning cell seem irrelevant to the larger world, but that all changes when things go wrong. Südhof told the Lancet in 2010 that this basic science, is not a "field, but an approach: 'solid descriptive science,' like neuroanatomy or biochemistry, disciplines that cannot claim to immediately understand functions or provide cures, but which form the basis for everything we do." Sadly in the budget fights and government show down, federal funding for these basic research projects are being defunded and cut. This has even recently impacted one of today's winners: Rothman lost his NIH funding for the research he won the award for.He told the AP that he hopes that the Nobel Prize will mean his grants will get funded in the future if he re-applies. Award winning research All spent decades unraveling different parts of the cellular transport system. We might sometimes see cells as we did in middle school, as a dish shaped blob with a center nucleus as the command center and multiple other static organs. But that's not really the case. Our... |
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