Safety
Does voice-activated texting curb distracted driving dangers?
Distracted driving is a well-publicized issue, but it’s surprising how much of a problem it remains. I recall a time when my friend, an aspiring doctor, was driving me. At nearly every stop light, she would text furtively at her phone. I was surprised that such a bright person would still text and drive, and […]
Call before you dig signs help prevent service disruptions and injuries
Digging damages a buried utility line every three minutes in the United States. Unsafe digging can put your safety at risk and cut you and the community from critical services. Negligent digging causes damage in more than one way. Since most areas have underground systems such as water and gas pipelines, gas tanks, and cables, […]
Not just for kids: new cyberbullying law ensures teachers are treated right
Cyberbullying amongst school students is one of the year’s hottest issues, but lately, students tormenting teachers online has become just as serious a problem. Naturally, students will discuss and even poke fun of authority figures such as teachers or principals, but social media provides a particularly insidious platform for students to vent their frustration against superiors […]
Today courts consider bars’ liability in drinking and driving deaths
The slippery slope that leads to the often tragic and sometimes fatal decision to drink and drive is just that: slippery. How do bartenders know when one round is a drink too many? Monitoring a customer’s behavior is often pragmatically difficult — a bartender is usually busy juggling orders, cleaning, or, well, making drinks — […]
3 food recall fiascos that’ll make you fear your fork
Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to ask how the sausage is made. Just ask the IKEA patrons across Europe who recently chowed down on the retailer’s iconic Swedish meatballs. Many a carnivore salivate just thinking of the meaty chunks of goodness, but public fondness may have waned last month when Czech authorities discovered that those IKEA meatballs contained traces of horse […]
OSHA and needlestick injury
Do you know what needlestick injury means? It’s the health and safety term (along with “sharps injury”) that describes what happens when a worker gets pricked with a used needle or syringe. These needlestick and sharps injuries can be serious, and they occupy a particular niche in the world of safety hazards; they’re easily preventable (anyone […]
Sharing respectfully: the fight against cyberbullying
Stanley Arnold, a man who once ran for president in the 1970s, said: “Every problem contains within itself the seeds of its own solution.” Although his campaign ultimately fell flat, his point resonates beyond the 20th century. The proliferation of online bullying, in particular via social networks, is garnering serious attention, and requiring equally powerful […]