Lawnside New Jersey Workers' Compensation and Personal Injury Law Blog

8 shocking car accident statistics

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in blog on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

A car nearly sideswipes you on the way home from work. You swerve out of the way, but you almost run into an oncoming pickup truck in a head-on crash. You slam on the brakes, swerve back into your lane and then quickly pull into the next parking lot.

With your hands shaking, you look out at the road and watch cars go by. You have never been in an accident before. You never really believed it would happen to you. After all, you follow the traffic laws. You drive under the speed limit. You are careful, intelligent and experienced. Traffic accidents always felt like someone else's problem.

Collision repair shops and OSHA citations

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

New Jersey residents who work in collision repair facilities are at the most risk from respiratory protection and hazard communications. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the two standards that were most frequently cited from October 2016 to September 2017 were respiratory protection and hazard communication.

The respiratory protection standard issued by OSHA mandates that employers have a written respirator program that has fit testing and employee training. The employers are also required to ensure that a worker is able to safely use a respirator by providing the worker with a medical evaluation.

Software aims to reduce truck accidents and fatigue

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Truck Accidents on Thursday, April 19, 2018.

Truck driver fatigue can be a dangerous killer on New Jersey roadways and the highways of America. Trucking is critical to the U.S. economy as over 7 million people work in the industry and over 70 percent of the nation's cargo is transported in semi-trucks. Almost half of all people who work in the industry are themselves truck drivers. While truck driving can be a lucrative profession, turnover rates are often greater than 90 percent as the grueling schedule can be difficult for drivers to handle.

The average American truck driver is driving on the roadways for around 70 hours in each eight-day work week. This means that truck driver fatigue can not only be a challenge to them completing their routes but also pose a severe risk of motor vehicle accidents with their attendant injuries and even fatalities. Around 100,000 truck accidents each year are caused by truck driver fatigue across the country. Various initiatives are dedicated to attempting to reduce the risks of driver fatigue behind the wheel.

What employers can do about pinch points

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Monday, April 9, 2018.

Employers in New Jersey, regardless of the industry they specialize in, will want to make sure their workers are protected from pinch points. These are points in machinery where it's possible for workers to get caught: they could be between two moving parts, between a moving part and a stationary part, or between a material and some part of the machine. Many workers are injured by having fingers, feet, loose clothing, and hair caught in these pinch points.

They are found in robotic machinery, assembling machines, injection molding machines, and metal forming machines. Powered doors, powered hatches and covers, and conveyors present the same risk, as do printing presses and power transmission equipment. Workers in the construction and manufacturing industry are especially vulnerable.

Study says that more people are using phones while driving

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Car Accidents on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.

More drivers in New Jersey and across the United States are regularly talking on their cell phones while behind the wheel, according to a new survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The study, which was released on March 29, asked 2,613 licensed drivers about their cellphone habits while behind the wheel over the past 30 days.

Nearly 50 percent of the survey's participants admitted to talking on a hand-held phone while driving. This represented a 46 percent increase over the results of a similar study conducted in 2013. Furthermore, almost 45 percent of drivers in the new study reported reading an email or text message while driving and just under 35 percent said they had sent an email or text whilst behind the wheel.

Those who work in nursing homes risk serious injuries on the job

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in blog on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

To those who only visit, nursing homes probably seem like very safe and even boring places. However, for those who work in these important facilities, there are significant risks every day. The nurses, aides and other personal care professionals who work in nursing homes, personal care facilities and similar assisted living facilities can easily end up hurt on the job.

Thankfully, there are protections in place for those who do get hurt on the job. These include workers' compensation, which can offer a range of benefits. The New Jersey workers' compensation program can offer lost wage replacement, coverage for medical expenses and much more. Of course, avoiding an injury is always the best option. Knowing what injuries are most common can help workers avoid certain risk factors.

CVSA schedules International Roadcheck for June

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Truck Accidents on Monday, March 26, 2018.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is responsible for conducting a three-day inspection spree every year called the International Roadcheck. It covers North America and applies to all commercial truck and bus drivers. Those in New Jersey to whom this inspection applies should know that the 2018 International Roadcheck will take place from June 5 to June 7.

The CVSA is putting a strong emphasis this year on hours-of-service compliance, the reason being that hours-of-service violations entered the spotlight with the implementation of the electronic logging device mandate back in December 2017. The U.S. DoT begins the period of hard enforcement in April.

Workers may face eye risks while on the job

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Workers' Compensation on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

Eye safety can be a major concern for workers in construction, mining and other New Jersey industries that pose a risk of exposure to dangerous materials. However, eye protection and safety can also be important for workers behind a desk in an office. Since injuries that affect vision can be particularly expensive and personally devastating, it should be a priority to protect eye safety in the workplace.

Every year, around 20,000 workers in the United States experience workplace injuries involving the eyes. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, these types of eye injuries lead to costs in productivity of $300 million. For workers, however, the individual cost can be far greater. Beyond the expenses of medical bills or lost wages, an eye injury can cause severe pain, vision loss or blindness. Some estimates note that up to 90 percent of eye damage in the workplace is preventable through the use of protective eyewear, including safety glasses, face shields or other equipment.

Lifting patients is one danger nurses face

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in blog on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

While many hospitals, including those in South Jersey, have taken steps to provide healthier work environments such as programs to help nursing staff avoid burnout, there is one area where every hospital seems to come up short: patient lifting practices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, every year, nurses suffer from 35,000 back and musculoskeletal injuries, mostly due to lifting patients.

In general, nurses are at a higher risk of suffering a work-related injury compared to factory and construction workers as well as others in jobs that that physically demanding. Unfortunately, even if you use proper lifting techniques, you are still at risk of a back injury. In fact, the lifting process itself has certain dangers that are virtually impossible to avoid.

Soft tissue damage: causes and symptoms

On behalf of Craig Fishman of Fishman & Fishman, LLC posted in Car Accidents on Monday, March 12, 2018.

The muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the body are called the soft tissues, and these can be sprained, strained, and torn by sudden, uncontrollable movements. This is why soft tissue damage is a frequent outcome of car accidents, when the impact and braking toss the body back and forth. Drivers in New Jersey will want to know what the symptoms are.

Chronic pain and inflammation of the affected area are to be expected. Blood may even pool in the area. Some victims also report a loss or diminishment of function in their limbs. When the soft tissues of the neck are damaged, usually in rear-end collisions, the condition is known as whiplash. The head is heavier than some people think, and it can strain the neck tissues, causing shooting pains in the neck, back, and shoulders.