Cellphones can directly cause workplace accidents
Cellphones can be very useful tools in the workplace, but they can also be very dangerous distractions. It is estimated that 3,000,000,000 text messages are sent out each and every day. More and more often, people are using mobile devices so that they can send and receive these messages while...
Failure to effectively reduce, address medical errors can lead to litigation, P.1
A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted a topic that should concern all of us: errors in health care. As the article pointed out, progress in reducing the number of medical errors has been painfully slow. Part of the reason for that is that there is a lack of...
Workplace injuries don’t always happen at work
Many workplace injures happen while on the job—in a warehouse, on a construction site, or in an office building, for example. However, it is important to note that injuries don’t have to happen at a specific location to count as workplace injuries. For example, you could be hurt while driving...
Truck driver fatigue and the hours of service rules, P.2
In our last post, we began speaking about the federal hours of service rules and their general purpose. As we noted, compliance with the rules has been a challenge over the years, because federal regulations have only required truckers to keep track of their hours via paper logs. The problem...
Truck driver fatigue and the hours of service rules, P.1
Truck driver fatigue is an important issue, or rather problem, when it comes to highway safety. Although most truckers are responsible and don’t take chances behind the wheel, there are some who put both themselves and other motorists at risk by driving without adequate rest. Federal law has sought to...
Study highlights hospital efforts to reduce preventable patient fatalities, readmissions
In our last post, we began speaking about the result of a recently published report concerning hospital mortality and readmission rates in Pennsylvania. As we noted, improvements were seen in many areas between 2009 and 2014 in terms of mortality rates. The report also highlighted the fact that statistically significant...
Can you refuse to drive in dangerous conditions?
If you have to drive as part of your job, you may run into a situation during the winter in Pennsylvania where you just don’t feel safe being on the road. When a big snowstorm blows in and the roads are coated in ice, can you tell your employer that...
Improvement in statewide mortality rates likely due to improved quality of care
Quality of health care is a critically important issue for patients. As consumers of medical services, it is tempting to assume that our lack of ability to effectively shop around for medical care means that health care services are more or less of equal quality wherever you go. That, however,...
Job-related illnesses are harder to prove for compensation claims
Technically, you have a right to seek compensation in Pennsylvania if you get sick while at work because of your job. For example, if the workplace is filled with hazardous materials and you breathe toxic dust for years on end, it could cause respiratory issues that wouldn’t have come about...
Comparative negligence rule and aggressive driving
In our previous post, we spoke a bit about the problem of aggressive driving in general and here in Pennsylvania. One of the issues we mentioned at the end of our last post is that aggressive driving is often not a matter of only one individual losing his or her...
Looking at the problem of aggressive driving in Pennsylvania
Aggressive driving, we’ve all experienced it at some point. There are many different forms it can take, ranging from uncooperativeness in sharing the road to actively attempting to injure another driver. Whatever form it comes in, aggressive driving can cause a great deal of harm. Here in Pennsylvania, aggressive driving...
The law protects you from retaliation
Do you think your workplace is unsafe, but are you scared to speak up? Maybe you don’t want to be seen as a complainer, or maybe you’re afraid that your boss will retaliate in some way if you say what’s on your mind. If you think that a complaint needs...
Study looks at the way teens think about distracted driving
There are many different reasons auto accidents can occur, and it is impossible to blame the problem of negligence in driving on any one factor. As everybody knows, though, distracted driving caused by cell phone use is a particularly common and problematic problem. With people of all ages now carrying...