Lawnside New Jersey Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury Law Blog

How CMV drivers can prevent drowsiness on the road

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Truck Accidents on Monday, February 17, 2020.

A great many truck accidents that occur in New Jersey and across the U.S. are the result of drowsy driving. Fatigue is a hazard that's built into the trucking industry, so to speak, but this is not to say that truckers cannot avoid it. They can do so if they follow the tips below.

The first tip is to achieve a sufficient amount of sleep. Not only that, but truckers should also try to avoid driving during those periods when the body is naturally tired. They include the hours between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Second, truckers should eat healthy and eat regularly. Third, it's best to avoid drowsiness-inducing medications. If they still feel drowsy after a long sleep, they may want to see a doctor; it could be a sleep disorder.

Why is trucker fatigue such a big issue?

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC on Monday, February 17, 2020.

Fatigue is a major problem for anyone who drives a vehicle, but it can be devastating for a person who drives for a living. Long haul truckers face a unique problem when they are trying to deal with fatigue. They have loads that need to be delivered to clients in a timely manner, so they might not feel able to just stop when they need to.

It is imperative that trucking companies operate in a manner that enables trucker to get sleep when they need it. The impacts of sleep loss are similar to those of alcohol, which is troubling. A person who has two nights in a row in which they get five hours of sleep will become impaired. If the person is awake for 24 hours, they will be impaired in a manner equivalent to a person with a blood alcohol concentration of .10%.

Construction site supervisors perform most safety training

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, February 10, 2020.

Contractors in New Jersey must contend with many safety issues at their job sites. A survey of contractors published by Dodge Data & Analytics highlights the substantial amount of safety training conducted by construction site supervisors. The majority of companies, at 73%, responded that the responsibility of training onsite workers about safety fell to supervisors.

The four aspects ranked as the most important by contractors confirmed that most safety training occurred on job sites. The involvement of everyone on the job site was the number one factor selected by 84% of respondents. Supervisors with strong talents for safety leadership were considered vital by 83% of contractors, and regular safety meetings between employees and supervisors came in third at 82%. Among contractors, 77% of them cited the importance of continual access to safety training for all workers.

Multi-vehicle crashes and how to determine fault

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.

Determining fault in the wake of a car crash in New Jersey can be difficult, especially when three or more vehicles were involved. However, most multi-vehicle crashes are simply a series of rear-end collisions, in which case the reasoning will be as follows.

In an example case, Driver A at the front is obeying all the traffic laws but is rear-ended by Driver B, who was speeding, following too closely to Driver A or violating traffic laws in some other way. The impact may be intensified by the fact that Driver B is also rear-ended by a Driver C. If Driver C was also tailgating or being negligent in another way, then Driver A may hold both Drivers B and C responsible. Even Driver B could file a claim against Driver C as long as his or her degree of fault is less than Driver C's.

Handle combative patients correctly to prevent injuries

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

Combative patients are a serious risk to everyone in a hospital setting. From the paramedic who picks the patient up to the nurses and doctors working to help the patient, a combative patient can be truly dangerous.

Of course, not all patients are combative as a result of being in their right mind. A person on drugs might be paranoid. A person suffering from diabetes might become aggressive as a defensive mechanism. Medical personnel know this aggression isn't personal, but it is still dangerous.

New airborne contaminant recommendations released for workers

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.

Construction workers in New Jersey may be interested in the new recommendations set forth by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH. The recommendations are designed to reduce exposure to dust, gases and other contaminants that may affect construction workers and building occupants.

The recommendations were set forth after NIOSH conducted health hazard evaluations at worksites that were completing construction and renovation projects. The projects inspected included an office building undergoing modernization and a school that was being renovated to include more classrooms, administrative space and a library. Several issues were identified that affected the quality of the indoor air. Lack of dust control, use of high-emissions building materials and lack of communication with building occupants about potential hazards topped the list of concerns.

FMCSA plans new study of large-truck crash factors

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Truck Accidents on Wednesday, January 22, 2020.

There are any number of factors that can contribute to a large truck accident, but a few of them are of relatively recent origin and have not been studied in depth. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducted its last large-truck crash causation study between 2001 and 2003, so an update is clearly needed. New Jersey residents should know that just such an update was announced at the start of 2020.

The FMCSA is fielding comments on how best to proceed with the study. It's clear, though, what sort of crash factors the organization will be analyzing: calling and texting behind the wheel, for example, and the use of in-cab navigation systems and fleet management systems. Even safety features like automatic emergency braking have been linked to accidents.

How to avoid a workers’ compensation denial

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC on Thursday, January 16, 2020.

Any on-the-job accident has the potential to cause an injury that keeps you out of work while you recover. If this happens, you'll begin to wonder how you can maintain your financial security during such a challenging time.

Thanks to the workers' compensation system, you may be eligible to receive payments until you can return to work. However, if you don't know what you are doing, it's possible you could make a mistake that results in a workers' compensation denial.

Loss of public support has meant less red-light cameras

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, January 15, 2020.

New Jersey residents may or may not be aware of the controversy surrounding red-light cameras, or traffic-enforcement cameras. These are cameras placed at certain intersections to take photographs of drivers who run a red light. As a deterrent, they are effective; the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says they reduce violations by 40%.

Not only that, but red-light cameras can save lives. Large cities with these cameras see 21% fewer deaths at the hands of red-light runners than large cities without them. This is a significant difference, considering how more than 800 people died in red-light running crashes back in 2016.

Reducing ergonomic injuries in warehouses with new wearable tech

On behalf of Arnold Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Warehouse owners in New Jersey should be aware that 35% of all injuries that arise in warehouses are ergonomic injuries. It can be difficult to instruct employees on how to avoid such injuries. Classroom training can only go so far, and much of the material could be forgotten after a single week. Applying a standard indiscriminately can fail to take an employee's individual movements into account.

This is where new technology can come in handy. Soter Analytics, an ergonomics tech company, has developed a wearable device called SoterSpine that can monitor every shift in an employee's position and determine if the employee is about to make a hazardous movement. If such a movement is imminent, the tech will beep and vibrate.