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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query distracted. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query distracted. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Employee Cell Chat Results in $5.2 Million Payment to Widow by Employer

The distractions caused by cell phone use and other electronic gadgetry are increasing the exposure of employers to monetary exposure well beyond those benefits that employers are covered for under their workers’ compensation policies. A fatal accident contributed to by the employee’s use of a cell phone while driving resulted in a recent settlement of $5.2 million.

While employers’ are shielded to limited and scheduled statutory benefits under workers’ compensation for injures arising out of and in the course of their employment, injured third parties may pursue a civil action against the employer for the employees negligence. An employee who was distracted by cell phone use caused a motor vehicle accident that resulted in the death of a widowed mother of four children. Her estate filed a civil claim against the employer alleging that employee was negligent for using the cell phone while driving.

In a recent article in TRIAL magazine, Robert L. Sacks Jr., discusses the liability caused by text messaging and other distractions while driving. “Drivers with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the phone are a common sight, at least in states where it’s still legal to talk and drive. But the cell phone is only one of many potential high-tech distractions. It’s now possible to talk, text-message, take pictures, check the global positioning system (GPS), adjust the satellite radio, scroll through the pages of your MP3 player, send e-mail, and try to drive—all at the same time.”44 TRIAL 2 (February 2008).

Sacks cites the work of psychologists at the University of Utah that it is 50% more dangerous to drive while text messaging than while talking on a cell phone. This increase a serious danger to motorists.

This enhanced risk can result in serious economic liability to employers who permit or direct their employees to become distracted while driving in the course of their employment. Employers maybe wise to immediately issue rules prohibiting such activity.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Employee Penalized For Not Following Safety Rules

An employee's workers' compensation award maybe be reduced for failing to follow an employer's safety rules. A Missouri Court ruled that reducing an injured employee's award by 25% to 50% for failing to follow an employer's safety rules was not unconstitutional.

This ruling may have widespread application in many situations including distracted driving claims, where an employee sustains an accident while using a cell phone in violation of an employer's cell phone policy. The employer woud still remain responsible for the reduced award and, of course, subject to a 3rd part law suit by a potential 3rd party.

The reduction rule actually places fault back into the workers' compensation system which both violates the intent of the Act . Such a policy does not compensate for the reduced values (awards) anticipated and prescribed under the workers' compensation act. While the the logic seems to rational, the application further emasculates the intent of workers' compensation. It would be far more logical to put the cart before the horse, and work to prevent the unsafe work condition in the first place. Shifting responsibility to the injured worker is not consistent with the act's intent.

Thompson v. ICI American Holding, 2011 WL 3444008 (Mo.App. W.D.) Decided, August 9, 2011
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Chart of the Day: Hands-Free Talking Is as Bad as Talking on a Handset. Maybe Even Worse.

Distracted driving doesn't get better by the use of hands free technology. Today's post was shared by Mother Jones and comes from www.motherjones.com


Michael O'Hare points us this morning to a study of cell phone usage in cars that confirms the obvious: it's dangerous. More dangerous than driving drunk, in fact. What's more, as the chart on the right shows, hands-free talking doesn't help. In fact, for certain
tasks it makes things even worse. O'Hare explains what's going on:
To understand the reason, consider driving while (i) listening to the radio as I was (ii) conversing with an adult passenger (iii) transporting a four-year-old (iv) sharing the front seat with a largish dog.
Why are the first two not dangerous, and the last two make you tense up just thinking about them? 
The radio is not a person, and you subconsciously know that you may miss something if you attend to something in the road ahead, but also that you won’t insult it if you “listen away”, and it won’t suffer, much less indicate unease. The adult passenger can see out the windshield and also catch very subtle changes in your tone of voice or body language. 
If you stop talking to attend to the car braking up ahead, the passenger knows why instantly, and accommodates, and because you know this, you aren’t anxious about interrupting the conversation. The dog and the child, in contrast, are completely unaware of what’s coming up on the road or what you need to pay attention to; the former is happy to jump in your lap if it seems like a good idea at any moment, and the child demands attention on her own schedule and at...
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Cell Phone Hearing Use Results in $1.2 Million in Compensation Benefits

The use of a Blackberry cellphone that reportedly caused tinnitus has resulted in the payment of $1.2 Million in workers' compensation benefits

Cell phone injuries have been linked medically by published studies. "The authors warn users of cell phones to look out for ear symptoms such as ear warmth, ear fullness, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) as early warning signs of an auditory abnormality."

Tinnitus describes a condition of "ringing in the ears." Individuals often describe the sound as a hum, buzz, roar, ring, or whistle. The predominant cause of tinnitus is long-term exposure to high sound levels, though it can also be caused by short-term exposure to very high sound levels, such as gunshots. Non-acoustic events, such as a blow to the head, dietary issues, stress, jaw joint disorders, debris on the eardrum, or prolonged use of aspirin may also cause tinnitus.The inner ear or neural system produces the actual sound.

Exposure to excessive noise in the workplace has been recognized as a major health hazard, one that can impair not only a person's hearing, but also his physical and mental well-being. workplace first affects the ability to hear high-frequency or high-pitched sounds.  Workers suffering from noise-induced hearing loss may also experience continual ringing in the ears, called "tinnitus".  In addition, workers who are exposed to noise sometimes complain of nervousness, sleeplessness and fatigue.

Other cases have also been reported for workers' compensation benefits as a result of the use of a telephone. An injured worker was employed at New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company for approximately six years as a customer service representative who spoke with customers on the telephone.  A pre-employment physical, which included a hearing test, demonstrates no hearing difficulties or other medical issues.  During the course of her employment, renovations were conducted at the employer's office and she testified that she heard loud drilling and that her desk vibrated and she had difficulty hearing customers on the telephone.  While medical evaluations reflected no statutory hearing loss pursuant to the form of the occupational Hearing Loss Act, the expert physician did recognize a 5% loss due to tinnitus.  The trial judge concluded that the tinnitus disability was significant and distracted from the former efficiency of her ears and distracted from her ordinary pursuits of life.  The reviewing Court held that tinnitus and supported by the appropriate proofs was a permanent partial disability and was compensable irrespective of whether the employee also suffers a hearing loss compensable under the OHLA.  Schorpp-Replogle v. New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company, 395 N.J.Super. 277, 928 A.2d 885 (App.  Div. 2007).
.....
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Truck firm, driver sued over crash that killed 4 softball players

Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from www.dallasnews.com

Two lawsuits have been filed in Tarrant County against Quickway Transportation and its driver, Russell Wayne Staley of Saginaw, following a Sept. 26 crash that killed four college softball teammates.
The parents of Brooke Deckard filed their suit in district court Monday. Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge; Jaiden Pelton, 19, of Telephone; Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; and Katelynn Woodlee, 18, of Dodd City were killed in the wreck.
Staley’s northbound truck crossed the grass median of Interstate 35 about 47 miles into Oklahoma and slammed into the southbound bus that was returning the team to North Central Texas College in Gainesville after a game.
Another lawsuit was filed Friday on behalf of Rachel Hitt, 19, of Scurry. She was one of two players, both from Kaufman County, who required several days of hospital treatment.
Each suit seeks a jury trial and more than $1 million in damages.
The suits accuse 53-year-old Staley of distracted driving and say that Quickway was negligent in letting him drive.
Investigations into the crash are expected to take several weeks. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is conducting a criminal investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a safety investigation that could lead to possible road improvements at the site near Davis, Okla.
Investigators have said the truck left the roadway at highway speed, 70 mph, and crossed about 950 feet of median without braking or swerving. However, some deceleration may have occurred, and no...
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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson-Reuters). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Trucker charged with vehicular homicide after alleged cellphone use led to fatal crash in Carlstadt

Today's post is shared from northjersey.com

In what authorities say is one of the first cases of its kind, a tractor-trailer driver who caused a fatal accident in Carlstadt two months ago has been charged with vehicular homicide and lying to police about using a cellphone at the time, authorities said Friday.

Henry Flores, 55, was making phone calls and operating the touch screen on his smartphone when his 1996 Kenworth truck slammed into the back of a vehicle slowing down for traffic in the southbound lanes on the New Jersey Turnpike just before 5 p.m. on June 9, authorities said. They said the crash led to a chain collision involving several vehicles.

Motorist Jeffrey Humphrey, 43, of Harrison — a musician and an audio engineer who had two daughters — was killed in the crash, and several others were injured, authorities said.

State Police said that Flores was arrested Thursday at his residence in Union City. However, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said Flores has been living in Netcong.

A little less than three months before the accident, Flores was ticketed on March 22 for driving while using a cellphone in Union City, according to state Motor Vehicle Commission records. His record shows a total of 19 driving violations, five in New Jersey, including operating while suspended, speeding, careless driving, and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle.
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Thursday, July 18, 2013

How far do you have to go to accommodate a lifting restriction?

Today's post was shared by Lynch Ryan and comes from www.safetynewsalert.com

Due to a workplace injury, an employee had a permanent 20-pound lifting restriction. She applied for a position that required heavy lifting. Did the company have to accept her suggestion on how to accommodate her restriction?

2workers-liftingRenee Majors worked at the General Electric (GE) Bloomington, IN, plant. In 2000, she suffered a work-related injury to her right shoulder that left her limited to lifting no more than 20 pounds and precluded her from work above shoulder level with her right arm.

The restrictions were temporary at first, but they were later determined to be permanent.

In 2009, Majors was the senior eligible bidder for a temporary purchased material auditor position under the collective bargaining agreement with GE. An essential function of the position was “intermittent movement of heavy objects.”

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.

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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Related articles:
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 ...

Monday, April 29, 2013

Intoxication, Work, And Workers' Compensation Don’t Mix

Today's post comes from guest author Paul J. McAndrew, Jr. from Paul McAndrew Law Firm of Iowa.
Most of us know that, for both professional reasons and in the interest of safety, remaining sober while on the job is essential. However, it is important to also recognize that workers who are intoxicated at the time that they sustain a work injury stand a far lower chance of ever collecting workers’ compensation.
If the blood test shows the presence of alcohol or drugs, odds that the employee will be able to collect workers’ compensation are much lower.
This is because of the intoxication defense: if an employer can prove that intoxication was the cause of the workers’ injury, then they employer is not required to provide workers’ comp for that injury. Now, there are some notable

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Meet the startups trying to stop pedestrian deaths

Distracted walking is a new safety concern. Today's post is shared from theverge.com
As phones get more powerful and screens get bigger, it gets harder and harder to pull our attention away from them, even when it puts us at risk. One place where that unavoidably happens is in the intersections of city streets, where pedestrians, bikers, and drivers meet — sometimes violently.
To try to tackle this problem, AT&T partnered with the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, the NYC Department of Transportation, educational co-op General Assembly, and software competition site ChallengePost to create Connected Intersections, a four-month developer challenge with the goal of inspiring technologies that can make city streets safer for distracted humans buried in their phones and the people around them.
"Traffic lights can only do so much."
"Pedestrians and cars are kind of at an impasse right now, and it’s getting to a point where real action needs to be taken," Sarah Kaufman of the Rudin Center said at one of the challenge’s developer open houses back in July. "Every two hours a New Yorker is hurt or badly injured, and every 30 hours one is killed in a car crash. So it’s at a point where we have a big opportunity to start using smart technologies to put the power in the people’s hands. Why not put safety in people’s hands? Traffic lights can only do so much."
Connected Intersections ended up collecting 45 ideas from teams in 13 different countries and 26 different states. Eight teams were awarded...
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Friday, October 3, 2014

NTSB: Truck showed no signs of trying to avoid North Texas softball team's bus

Today's post was shared by Take Justice Back and comes from www.dallasnews.com

Investigators in the Oklahoma crash that killed four women’s softball players from North Central Texas College said Sunday that the truck showed no signs of braking or maneuvering out of the way before it slammed into the team’s bus.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sunday that the truck drove through the median for 820 feet on a shallow angle before colliding with the bus. It did not brake or appear to take any action to avoid the crash. They found no apparent problems with the truck’s brakes.
The 18-wheeler veered across the Interstate 35 median near Davis and crashed into the team’s bus late Friday. The team’s head coach Van Hedrick was driving 15 players back from a scrimmage against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., when they were hit by about 9 p.m. Friday, authorities said.
Three women died at the scene, and one died at an area hospital. All were from Texas.
The NTSB is assisting Oklahoma Highway Patrol in the investigation. They obtained search warrants for the truck and bus. The investigation will include toxicology reports of both drivers and could take months.
Investigators will turn over the results to the local district attorney, who will decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
The Highway Patrol identified those who died as Meagan Richardson, 19, of Wylie; Brooke Deckard, 20, of Blue Ridge in Collin County; Jaiden Pelton, 20, of Telephone in Fannin County; and Katelynn...
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Saturday, July 30, 2011

Cell Phones and Cancer: The Static in the Debate

A recently published European study boldly and with much confusion declares that children are not at an increased risk of cancer as a result of cell phone use. Knowledgeable commentators has questioned the reliability of the data and analysis resulting in questioning the veracity of the European study altogether.

Microwave News reported:
'The first study to look at brain tumors among children and teenagers who have used cell phones came out today and it shows no increased risk. Well, actually, the study, known as CEFALO, does indicate a higher risk —the problem is that it found a higher risk for all the kids who used a phone more than once a week for six months, regardless of how much time they spent on the phone. Because the risk does not go up with more use, the CEFALO team argues that the results argue against a true association.

Professor Franklin E. Mier, PhD, CID, Environmental and Occupational Health SciencesCUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, commented:
"A study may provide "evidence for," or more rarely, evidence against an increased risk associated with an exposure. The exposure should be further characterized by level and duration. The evidence might further be characterized as "clear," "some" or "equivocal." In studies of people, either single studies or a collections of studies, "chance, bias, and confounding" must be evaluated, which impacts the strength of the evidence derived from the study. Studies failing to find an association should be characterized as "null" rather than "negative."

"Each newly published study should be characterized in the context of previous studies, evaluated as a group. IARC characterized the body of evidence previous to the study reported here as "limited." Those who wish to make their own evaluation should read the IARC monograph in detail. Personally, I don't think the body of evidence will ever advance beyond "limited" evidence. Also, resources and media attention will continue to be devoted to restudying this exposure (as opposed to other exposures of concern) because rich people use cell phones.

Dramatically conflicting studies are now surfacing. The signal is not yet clear and the static will have to resolve before the causal connection between cell phone use and cancer can be ruled out.


Related articles

Friday, December 12, 2014

The long history of GM’s ignition switch cover up

Today's post is shared from motleyrice.com/
GM’s ignition switch defect has now been linked to 38 deaths to date. The ignition switch problem was so obvious that customers, journalists and even GM employees were reporting the problem a decade before GM finally admitted the issue and recalled the cars.
Way back in 2005, one frightened customer wrote to both GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), stating that “This is a safety/recall issue if ever there was one . . . The problem is the ignition turn switch is poorly installed. Even with the slightest touch, the car will shut off while in motion. I don’t have to list for you the safety problems that may happen, besides an accident or death, a car turning off while doing a high speed must cause engine and other problems in the long haul . . . I firmly believe that this ignition switch needs to be recalled, reexamined and corrected.” Yet, GM did nothing.
That same year, New York Times journalist Jeff Sabatini commented on an odd issue with his Chevrolet Cobalt. His wife was driving on the freeway when she accidentally bumped her knee on the steering column and the car “just went dead.” On looking into the issue, he found another writer with the same problem. Journalist Gary Heller of Pennsylvania’s The Daily Item had also experienced “unplanned engine shutdowns [that] happened four times during a hard-driving test week” in his Cobalt. The...
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Distracted Driving: Federal Guidelines Proposed For Automakers

After years of accidents in the workplace caused by the use of mobile devices in vehicles, the Federal Government today proposed universal universal guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to electronically disable these devices when a vehicle is in operation.  The enforcement of this safety-first proposal may establish a legal standard universally to bar the use of such devices in vehicles and encourage employees to have a safer working environment.

See: U.S. Department of Transportation Proposes ‘Distraction’ Guidelines for Automakers
"Issued by the Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the guidelines would establish specific recommended criteria for electronic devices installed in vehicles at the time they are manufactured that require visual or manual operation by drivers. The announcement of the guidelines comes just days after President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request, which includes $330 million over six years for distracted driving programs that increase awareness of the issue and encourage stakeholders to take action. "

Friday, July 31, 2009

Working While Texting: The New Workers Compensation Defense

New technology encroaching upon the workplace has been both a help and a hindrance. Recent studies add to the growing volumes of data reporting that the use of cell phones while driving provides a significant distraction and increases the risk of accidents at alarming rates.

A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) has adds to mounds of data that the use of cell phone technology is a driving distraction. The study combined more than 6,000,000 miles of driving and causally relates the use of cell phone technology and the increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. The study concluded that merely dialing a cell phone while driving produces an accident risk of 2.8 times as high as a non-distracted driver. The use of a heavy vehicle or truck, normally used in commercial situations, increased rate of a risk of crash of 23.2 times as high as the non-distracted driver. The report concludes that “…..texting should be banned in moving vehicles for all drivers. “

“Given recent catastrophic crash events and disturbing trends, there is an alarming amount of misinformation and confusion regarding cell phone and texting use while behind the wheel of a vehicle. The findings from our research at VTTI can help begin to clear up these misconceptions as it is based on real world driving data. We conduct transportation safety research in an effort to equip the public with information that can save lives,” says Dr. Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Workers’ compensation is based upon a no-fault system, and few defenses exist that bar recovery. Defenses such as intoxication or working under the influence of controlled dangerous substances may limit or bar recovery in many jurisdictions. Generally, if an accident or injury was the sole or proximate cause of the prohibitive activity, recovery will be denied.

Public outrage as to the findings of the VTTI study has quickly generated into proposed Federal legislation, by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D. N.Y.) and three other Democrats, to ban the use of cell phones for texting while driving. Only 14 States have enacted progressive legislation to outright ban texting while driving.

Accidents and injuries at work have a devastating economic impact on a State’s economy. The study will assist State legislatures and courts to recognize that manual manipulation of phones, such as dialing and texting of the cell phone, results in a substantial increase in the risk of being involved in a safety critical event. Workers’ compensation benefits may be prohibited by statute for working while texting (WWT) . In the alternative Courts, may merely consider such events as a risk not associated with the employment, ie. a communication not related to employment or an employer prohibited activity, or, in some instances, a mere deviation from employment. Audits of wireless communication records will assist in providing a data trail.

The Center for Truck and Bus Safety at VTTI, by publishing the study, has made a significant contribution to workplace safety. The message has now been sent for action to be taken to eliminate this safety risk at work.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Distracted Driving Increases Workers' Compensation Risks

In a recent video interview, Jon Gelman, spoke about the serious workers' compensation and liability risks that employers face flowing from distracted driving.

For the complete interview click here.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Lloyds Report Targets Potential Cell Phone Liability

Yet another reason why employers should be concerned with the risks of distracted driving has been reported by Lloyds of London. A recent report considers the electromagnetic fields (EMF) from mobile phones a potential risk to health.

The report reviews the medical causation issues involving a myriad of conditions ranging from brain cancer (acoustic neuromas and gliomas) to central nervous system effects, as well as reproduction and biological development consequences of EMF exposure over the long term. In reviewing historical litigation trends, 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.

With over 4.3 billion mobile phones in use worldwide as of June 2009, this report increases the concern of employers who are already experiencing increased liability because of the use of cell phones while driving. A major initiative is underway by US Department of Transportation to curtail the use of cell phone by employee while driving because of the increase risk of motor vehicle accidents.

As workers’ compensation insurance carriers have already been challenged by significant losses as a result of occupational exposure to asbestos, the Lloyds report may encourage employers to restrict the use of a cell phone, except when used in a safe and protected manner. 


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Put It Down - Friday April 30th

Distracted driving is a major cause of work related motor vehicle accidents. Encouraging employers and employees to go phone free in their vehicles while working is a goal of the US Department of Transportation. 


The US Department of Transportation in conjunction with a campaign by Oprah Winfrey has declared Friday, April 30th a phone free day in motor vehicles.


To read more on distracted driving activity and workers’ compensation, click here.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Federal Cell Phone Rules Compliance Guide Published

Distracted Driving remains a serious problem in the workplace and now the Federal government is taking enforcement actions to a new level. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced Rules that it is prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones by interstate truck and bus drivers.

As the Rules take effect is is anticipated that many states will adapt these changes.  For those who use prohibited devices in the course of their employment and are involved in accidents may ultimately be denied workers' compensation benefits and employer liability will result. ZoomSafer has now published a compliance guide.

See:  FMCSA Cell Phone Rules: A Compliance Guide for Truck and Bus Fleets

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

IARC To Issue Report on Cell Phones

The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to release a decision by June 1st as to whether the radiation emitted from cellphones causes cancer. Scientists at the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer will take part in an eight-day meeting in Lyons, France starting May 24, 2011. 

The use of cell phones in the course of employment is a major concern as it results in distracted driving accidents. The new report will determine if employer mandated cell phone use can be causally connected to occupational cancer claims.


For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.