News

Washington – A new mobile app from the Department of Veterans Affairs is designed to help users evaluate concussion symptoms and provides ways to cope with concussion-related issues.

Washington – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is requesting public feedback until Nov. 24 on how to improve helicopter-related safety on fixed offshore facilities for oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf.

Atlanta – Influenza vaccination rates among health care workers increased slightly during the 2013-14 season, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington – The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and a group of safety advocates have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Transportation regarding training standards for entry-level truck drivers.

Düsseldorf, Germany – Job insecurity could increase a person’s risk of developing asthma, a recent study from the University of Dusseldorf suggests.

Washington – A lawmaker has proposed an hours-of-service exception that would prevent certain trains from blocking vehicles and emergency services personnel at railroad crossings.

Morgantown, WV – The prevalence of a severe form of black lung disease has increased recently to levels not seen in about 40 years, new NIOSH data shows.

Helsinki, Finland – Sleeping between seven and eight hours a night can decrease the possibility of missing work because of illness, a recent study from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health indicates.

New Orleans – The Chemical Safety Board has the authority to investigate the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed in a ruling issued Sept. 18.

Atlanta – Emergency medicine practitioners have an up-close view of the deaths and injuries that can result from texting while driving. Yet when they are not working, physicians, nurses, residents and other emergency health care providers often engage in the same dangerous driving habits, according to a study from Emory University School of Medicine.