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Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Oct. 5 announced changes to its Pre-Employment Screening Program for commercial motor vehicle carriers and other companies directly involved in hiring truck drivers.

In a recent survey of Safety+Health readers, more people gave the Obama administration a failing grade on workplace safety than any other passing grade.

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.

Chicago – Child pedestrian injuries may be reduced through improved parental supervision and education about distracting mobile devices, according to findings presented at the 2012 American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress.

President Barack Obama recently signed into law a $118 billion funding bill known as the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The legislation contains a variety of provisions to help address teen driver safety issues and decrease the number of deaths from teen-related car crashes each year.

Sacramento, CA – Legislation proposing harsher penalties for violators of California’s Heat Illness Prevention Standard was vetoed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. (D), who advocated instead for continued enforcement of current rules.

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.

A quick look at OSHA’s budget throughout the years shows a general slight uptick, but one that likely doesn’t match the scope of the agency’s responsibilities. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), an outspoken advocate for worker safety, recently pointed this out as a major problem.