The Chill in the Air Means it is Time to Revisit Slip and Fall Safety Training

Slip and Fall

OSHA requires slip, trip and fall hazards to be quickly identified and addressed and for employers to conduct regular and periodic inspections and maintenance.

With so much attention placed lately on Covid-19 vaccines, testing and prevention measures, it is easy to slip and forget the other common threats that put employees in danger. Now, however, with the cooler temperatures and changing colors in some parts of the county, we have a brisk reminder of the importance of thinking beyond the pandemic and refreshing our training programs to teach employees how to avoid slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

In addition to the slippery and icy surfaces outside our doors, manufacturers should also pay attention to dangerous conditions inside their facilities and factor that into their employee safety training programs. Slip, trip and fall accidents remain among the

Popular Blood Thinners May Lead to Brain Bleeding after Head Injury

Blood Thinners

A three-year study of more than 1,000 patients found that the risk of delayed intracranial hemorrhage and death following head trauma was significantly higher for adults taking older blood thinning medications including clopidogrel (Plavix) and warfarin (Coumadin), according to research being presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

The effects of newer blood thinners such as Pradaxa and Xarelto were not included in the report.

Taking aspirin concurrently with any blood thinner may increase the risk of delayed hemorrhage.

Intracranial hemorrhage occurs when blood vessels within the brain rupture, releasing blood into the brain tissue. In a delayed traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, bleeding in the brain occurs after the initial trauma, usually within 48 hours, after an initial negative head CT.

High blood pressure, head injury and the use of blood thinners are known causes of intracranial hemorrhage. As the population ages, the prevalence of patients taking blood thinners is increasing.

“The incidence of delayed posttraumatic intracranial hemorrhage in patients on different types of blood thinners with and without the addition of aspirin is not well established,” said Warren Chang, M.D., neuroradiologist and director of research at the Imaging Institute of the Allegheny Health Network in Pennsylvania. “This is an active area of investigation, especially as novel blood thinners become more widely adopted.”

COVID-19 and malpractice lawsuits: What the future may hold

Pandemic | COVID-Related

COVID-19 is prompting significant changes to malpractice laws and regulations at the state and federal levels.

Since COVID-19 arrived in the United States, health care providers have been working tirelessly to address every aspect of the pandemic. The public saw how frontline workers were making sacrifices day in and day out to keep as many people healthy as possible. But even as the media focused on this heroic work, behind the scenes COVID-19 was prompting significant changes to malpractice laws and regulations at the state and federal levels.

Providers should be aware of what has happened and of the changes that may occur in coming months and years.

Early pandemic

At medical malpractice insurer EmPRO, we have been keeping a close eye on the pandemic because global health events have the potential to expose both insured clients and insurers alike to staggering liabilities. Thankfully in New York state, where EmPRO is headquartered, the governor and the legislature moved swiftly to enact emergency measures that shielded health care professionals from the worst liabilities. Had they not done so, the pandemic had the potential to lead to the proposal of new, more stringent regulations and policies, which in turn could have resulted in increased premiums.

New York was hit incredibly hard with COVID-19 cases right from the start, with the first confirmed case on March 1, 2020. The legislature and the governor produced the Emergency Disaster Treatment Protection Act (EDTPA), which extended broad immunity to health care providers and facilities.

Around the state, hospitals filled with patients with COVID-19 had to bring in nurses from out of state, bring health care providers out of retirement, build temporary facilities to provide COVID-19 care and enlist doctors, nurses, physician assistants and others to provide services out of title — meaning outside their usual purview of care.

The EDTPA granted them immunity from liability

Phil Saviano, Survivor of Clergy Sex Abuse, Dies at 69

Catholic Sexual Abuse

He played a pivotal role in helping The Boston Globe uncover the widespread scandal in the Catholic Church and was portrayed in the movie “Spotlight.”

Phil Saviano was a relentless and determined activist who documented the actions of dozens of pedophile priests in the Boston area and coaxed other survivors to go public with their stories.

Phil Saviano carried a terrible secret for much of his life — that in the early 1960s, when he was 11, he was sexually molested by his parish priest in Massachusetts.

Nearly 30 years later, suffering from AIDS and believing he would soon die, he decided to go public about the abuse and disclosed his experience to The Boston Globe. As it happened, Mr. Saviano lived, and he went

Juul to pay $14.5 million to settle Arizona vaping lawsuit

Tobacco

E-cigarette giant Juul Labs will pay Arizona $14.5 million and vowed not to market to young people in the state to settle a consumer fraud lawsuit.

The settlement announced by Attorney General Mark Brnovich Tuesday is the second Juul has reached with state prosecutors. It ends litigation the Republican U.S. Senate candidate filed in January 2020 against Juul and another maker of electronic cigarettes, alleging they illegally targeted young people in their marketing.

Arizona previously obtained a $22.5 million judgment against defunct vaping product maker Eonsmoke but has not and is not likely to collect any of the money.

Juul Labs admitted no wrongdoing in settling the case and called it “another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company.” The company had stopped all advertising before Brnovich sued and ended sales of all flavored products except menthol.

Juul has faced lawsuits from multiple states over marketing of its products, which it touts as a safer alternative to regular tobacco products. In June, it reached a similar deal with the attorney general of North Carolina that included a $40 million payment and promises not to market to minors and boost enforcement of retailers who sell its products.

Lawsuits with a handful of other states remain.

E-cigarettes are touted as safer than tobacco cigarettes because while they deliver the addictive drug nicotine they do not give off smoke that contains carcinogens. But they are still addictive and dangerous to health, especially for teenagers whose brains are still developing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first e-cigarette last month, saying the R.J. Reynolds’ product has a clear benefit because it can reduce the use of regular cigarettes. Juul’s product remains under FDA review. Some adulterated vaping products have caused serious health effects.

All but $2 million of the $14.5 million Arizona settlement will be used for programs that discourage use of vaping products,