S+H Staff

Cambridge, MA – About 8 percent of workers who are prescribed narcotics for injuries continue using them three to six months later, which might lead to addiction and further work loss, concludes a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

Washington – Some traffic safety advocacy groups have used a “misleading” interpretation of research data to exaggerate the role of fatigue in truck crashes as part of a push for stricter hours-of-service regulations, claims a new white paper from the American Trucking Associations.

Research Triangle Park, NC – Workers who assisted in cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill have until the end of December to sign up for a long-term study on the health effects of the spill.

Morgantown, WV – The number of deaths as a result of suicide has increased over the past decade, surpassing traffic crashes as the No. 1 cause of injury-related deaths in the United States, according to a report from the West Virginia University School of Public Health and Injury Control Research Center.

Atlanta – Health care workers are more likely to get an influenza vaccine if it is mandatory, provided at no cost or promoted by the employer, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ottawa – A diet high in calories, sugar and sodium may increase a person's risk of having a stroke at a younger age, according to a study from the Heart & Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery.

DriveitHOME: First look at new initiative for parents of teen drivers

Baltimore – Plans to change a community’s environment to increase physical activity should incorporate safety, according to a new document from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Built Environment and Healthy Housing Program, and the Society for Public Health Education.

Washington – President Barack Obama on Sept. 28 signed into law the Continuing Appropriations Resolution (H.J. Res. 117), which provides funding for many government agencies at their current budget levels through March.

Washington – OSHA on Oct. 2 announced a new alternative dispute resolution pilot program for whistleblower cases.