What Is a Hazard?
Hazards are conditions that increase the probability of damage or injury, like a crack in a sidewalk, a spill in the aisle, a work truck without proper lighting, or inadequate lighting on the steps in front of a business.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), a driving hazard is “Any condition or object that increases the risk of a traffic collision.” Hazards are potential dangers that various factors on the road can present, highlighting the importance of hazard awareness and mitigation for safe driving.
The benefits of recognizing and addressing driving hazards include improved safety for all road users, reduced likelihood of accidents and injuries, and lower vehicle repair costs.
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A Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer tells you what you should do right after a car accident
Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer: After you get into an accident, there are things that you can choose to DO and NOT DO right afterward that may affect your injury claim against the other driver’s insurance company.
A Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer will advise doing the following right after the accident takes place:
- Stay inside your vehicle unless it’s too dangerous to do so
- Turn on your hazard lights
- Call 911 even if the accident didn’t seem too bad
- Seek medical help for anyone involved in the accident if needed
- Don’t move any vehicles or alter the scene unless you have to
- Don’t leave the scene
- Write down the names, addresses and phone numbers of everybody involved in the accident, including witnesses
- Write down the names/badge numbers of police officers who come to investigate
- Take pictures of injures and damage
- DON’T admit fault
- Call your insurance company right away and let them know what happened
- DON’T talk about the accident with anyone except the police and your own insurance company. […]
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Portable Generators Recalled Due to Fire Hazard
This is the season for portable generators in Pennsylvania.
But anybody who owns or uses one should check to make sure it isn’t a Champion Power model, which can leak fuel and explode into flames.
On November 2, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a nationwide voluntary recall of close to 9,000 portable generators made by Champion Power Equipment.
Fuel can leak from the generator’s carburetor, creating a fire hazard. There have been 11 reported cases of leakage, including eight fires and two incidents of property damage.
Portable generator usage soared in the wake of Hurricane Sandy – as did awareness of their potential dangers. To date there have been four reported deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators, although it is uncertain that the generators in those cases were the recalled Champion models.
The Champion Power Equipment recall involves two models of portable generators sold at Costco Wholesale stores nationwide between December 2011 and July 2012 for about $699. […]
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Top 10 Dangers On The Job
Here’s one Top 10 list that employers in Pennsylvania hope to never make.
The U.S. Department of Labor has released its Top 10 Workplace Safety Violations for 2012.
Inadequate protection against falls and insufficient warnings of job site hazards are the biggest problem areas, according to the DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Following is the complete list:
- Fall Protection (Total violations: 7,250)
- Hazard Communication (4,696)
- Scaffolding (3,814)
- Respiratory Protection (2,371)
- Ladders (2,310)
- Machine Guarding (2,097)
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1,993)
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,744)
- Lockout/Tagout (1,572)
- Electrical – General Requirements (1,332)
Free Consultation With A Pennsylvania Workplace Safety Lawyer
Have you been injured on the job? Concerned about safety conditions at your workplace? […]
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Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer Joins Call to Ban Use of Hand-Held Cell Phones While Driving
Scranton, PA, September 27, 2012 — Pennsylvania car accident attorney Caroline Munley said today that she supports efforts to broaden the state’s distracted driving laws to include a ban on using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel.
A law prohibiting texting while driving in Pennsylvania became effective earlier this year. However, because it is still legal to talk on a cell phone or search for contacts on a phone while behind the wheel, police say it is difficult to detect drivers engaged in text messaging and enforce the ban, according to a recent Scranton Times-Tribune report.
“If the goal of the law is to deter drivers from engaging in conduct that is dangerous and puts others at risk of distracted driving accidents, injury and death, then a full ban on the use of hand-held cell phones while driving a motor vehicle is an entirely appropriate, […]
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CPSC Sues Buckyballs Maker to Pull the Dangerous Toys From the Market
We have reported on the warnings issued by both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and by health advocates in the UK regarding children ingesting Buckyballs, a set of round, high-powered magnets that are meant to be used by adults as a stress-relieving desk toy.
When multiple magnets are swallowed, they often adhere through the intestines or bowel causing obstructions and/or tears in the intestinal lining. Immediate surgery is necessary to prevent further damage and to remove the magnets and repair the damage.
Since the CPSC issued the warning in November, however, it has received over one dozen reports of children ingesting the magnets, many of which required surgical intervention. Now, the CPSC has filed an administrative complaint against Maxfield & Oberton Holdings LLC, the toymakers, “alleging that Buckyballs and Buckycubes contain a defect in the design, packaging, warnings, and instructions, which pose a substantial risk of injury to the public.”
While Maxfield & […]
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