According to the latest report from the CDC, from 2007 to 2013, the rate for traumatic brain injuries that resulted in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths increased 39 percent. Traumatic brain injuries contribute to about 30 percent of all injury deaths. It was initially believed that the increase in brain injuries was caused [...]
Occupational skin diseases are one of the most common occupational diseases. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that in the United States more than 13 million workers' are potentially exposed to chemicals that can be absorbed through their skin. In 2015, the last year for which data is available, over 15% [...]
The dangers of distracted driving prompted OSHA to launch a Distracted Driving Initiative in 2010. The initiative’s primary focus has been to encourage employers to prohibit their employees from texting while driving for work. One in ten traffic-related fatalities involved distraction in 2015 (the most recent year for statistics) according to the U.S. Department [...]
Many states have enacted laws to protect the disclosure of an individual’s social security number and other personal identifying information due to a rise in identity theft; however, the practice of collecting the information by agencies has continued, and agencies that collected social security numbers before January 1, 1975 are still allowed to do so. [...]
In 2015 (the most recent year for statistics), traffic-related fatalities saw the largest percentage increase in nearly five decades. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 35,092 traffic-related fatalities in 2015, a 7.2 percent increase from 2014. Of the 35,092 traffic-related fatalities, 1,264 were occupational fatalities. Traffic-related fatalities made up the largest category [...]
When an employee settles a workers'’ compensation claim, the employer often wants to terminate the employee and is cautious because of potential age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq. (2015), prohibits companies with 20 or more employees from discriminating against a person (40 years of age or older) [...]
According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, in 2015 the number of work-related fatal injuries increased nationally. There were 4,836 work-related fatal injuries in the United States and 150 work-related fatal injuries in North Carolina compared to 4,821 in 2014. After the oil-and-gas industry’s sharp increase in work-related fatal injuries in 2014, the industry [...]
Hundreds of individuals have been exposed to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide while at work, including 150 employees at Middleville Tool and Die in Michigan when a hi-lo vehicle malfunctioned emitting carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide fumes, and 3 construction workers' in Berkley, California who were operating a gas power washer inside a building. Carbon [...]
Vinyl chloride is a colorless gas that is used primarily to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC). PVC is used to make plastic products ranging from pipes to packaging materials. Workers are primarily exposed to vinyl chloride through inhalation in facilities where vinyl chloride is produced or used. Exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride around [...]
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, and youth employment standards. The FLSA establishes a federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and requires overtime pay at a rate not less than 1.5 times the regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek for covered nonexempt workers'. [...]
