Monthly Archives: <span>August 2015</span>

Air Traffic Controllers Report Chronic Fatigue Due to Scheduling

U.S. air-traffic controllers report high levels of chronic fatigue from schedules that require they work through the night, and aviation regulators need to take steps to limit the potential safety hazard, a federal study concluded. Of controllers who made safety …

South Carolina Leads Nation in Child Swimming Pool Deaths

It’s been a deadly summer in swimming pools in South Carolina. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says that the number of children who drowned in pools and spas in the state during July was the highest per capita in …

OSHA Proposes Limits on Beryllium in Workplaces with Industry, Union Backing

The Obama administration is proposing new safety rules to limit workplace exposure to beryllium, a type of metal used in aerospace, electronics and other industries that can cause serious health problems when it’s ground into dust and inhaled. The plan …

California Awards $34 Million to Fight Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has awarded $34.9 million in grants to 37 district attorney offices representing 42 counties in California to combat workers’ compensation insurance fraud. The grants are funded through employer assessments, and they support law enforcement efforts in …

New York City Task Force Targets Construction Industry Fraud

New York’s building boom has spurred the formation of a task force to probe corruption in the construction industry after a worker was killed earlier this year. The task force of prosecutors and inspectors was announced last week after two …

Auto Losses to Continue to Dampen Insurer Profits

The property/casualty insurance industry has made money on its personal lines underwriting since 2013 but that is likely to change in 2015. At the same time, commercial auto insurance should still make an underwriting profit in 2015 although it is …

Most Railroads Won’t Make Safety Technology Deadline Set by Congress

Only a small number of U.S. railroads will meet the Dec. 31 deadline for implementing new train safety technology that experts say would have prevented the deadly May 12 Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia, officials said on Friday. A report to …

Uber Driver Court Case Challenges Independent Contractor Business Model

The most serious challenge to Uber Technologies Inc.’s “Be your own Boss” business model might also present an early test to the wider sharing economy as well as undermine its own $50 billion valuation. The immediate battle began last Thursday …

Eli Lilly Cleared of Claims in First Trial Over Antidepressant Cymbalta

Eli Lilly on Friday was cleared of liability in the first trial involving claims that its antidepressant Cymbalta caused severe withdrawal symptoms, including suicidal thoughts and electric shock-like sensations, the company said. Eli Lily has been sued by roughly 250 …

Close Encounters of the Drone Kind On Rise, Raising Concerns

A significant increase in close encounters between passenger aircraft and drones is prompting demands from U.S. lawmakers for tighter regulation and enforcement to avoid a fatal collision. Pilots on four airliners spotted an unmanned craft on Sunday as they approached …