Transportation

Sacramento, CA – Millions of California workers may soon receive paid sick days, following the state legislature’s Aug. 30 passage of a bill (A.B. 1522) requiring employers to provide sick leave.

Washington – New York state will have the country’s “toughest” distracted driving penalties for teens, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Arlington, VA – A coalition of transportation groups is asking the Department of Transportation to direct the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to remove motor carrier safety scores from public view, saying research has shown the data is unreliable.

Greenbelt, MD – The rate of commercial vehicles placed out of service during an annual enforcement and safety outreach campaign has fallen for the second year in a row.

London – People who commute to work by walking, biking or taking public transportation weigh less than those who commute by car or motorcycle, according to a new study.

Ann Arbor, MI – The United States has improved its road safety but still lags behind Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, according to a study from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Vienna, VA – The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety has developed a free online toolkit to help organizations strengthen their road safety programs.

Lebanon, NH – Disabled workers receiving Medicare benefits are increasingly using prescription painkillers, according to a new study from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

Washington – Staffing firms and host employers looking to better protect temporary workers from job hazards can now review recommended practices in a guidance document issued Aug. 25 by NIOSH and OSHA.

Frankfurt, Germany – The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, also known as EU-OSHA, has launched a website that enables visitors to share information – in various languages – about workplace safety.