S+H Staff

Ann Arbor, MI – A majority of parents know that infants should sleep alone and on their backs, but still unintentionally place their babies in unsafe sleeping positions, according to a report from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

Elk Grove Village, IL – Adolescent coverage for three recommended vaccines significantly increased between 2006 and 2009, but coverage amounts remain below target levels, according to a new study.

Washington – In 2009, 3,215 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes in the United States – a 21 percent decrease from 2008, according to a new report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania became the 35th state to ban texting while driving after Gov. Tom Corbett (R) signed Senate Bill 314 on Nov. 9.

Chicago – Modern football helmets are no more effective at protecting players than leather helmets used in the 1900s, according to a study published Nov. 4 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.

Washington – Researchers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety have begun working on two devices that can detect a driver’s blood-alcohol content, according to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an auto industry advocacy group.

Washington – “Insufficient data” exists to determine whether exposure to emissions from open-air burn pits on military bases causes long-term health effects such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, concludes an Institute of Medicine report.

Washington – The applicability of permissible exposure limits to federal agencies will be one of several topics discussed at a meeting of the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health, scheduled for Dec. 1 in Washington.

Washington – OSHA administrator David Michaels announced an upcoming National Emphasis Program on nursing home and residential care facilities in response to recent figures showing an increase in injuries requiring days away from work in the health care industry.

Washington – A review of the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act program has identified “promising” practices that could help prevent fraud, but has also uncovered some vulnerabilities in the program, according to recent testimony from a Government Accountability Office official.