Most of our time is split between home and work. In fact, there are many people who seem to spend so much time at work that it begins to feel like a second home; they become comfortable there or feel as though they should be. There are times when employees become concerned with certain procedures or security measures, which they can communicate to their employers, and it is up to the employers to listen to these concerns and take appropriate measures. A restaurant employee in Georgia voiced her concerns about the establishment's security, but her concerns went unheeded and she was killed during a robbery. Her family may now be considering filing a wrongful death suit against their daughter's former employer. The robbery occurred at Barcelona Wine Bar in Atlanta. Three masked and armed individuals came into the bar early one morning as employees were closing the restaurant. The regular employees who…

Thankfully, most Georgia car accidents don't involve fires. When they do, it's usually because big rigs or other large vehicles were involved. In 2012, a collision between an SUV and a pickup truck resulted in a horrific blaze that killed a young boy. His family subsequently filed a wrongful death suit against Chrysler, the manufacturer of their vehicle. The accident occurred when a pickup truck collided with a left-turning SUV. The force of the collision caused the gas tank of the struck vehicle to rupture. The fire caused by gas that ignited resulted in the death of a 4-year-old boy in the SUV. After the accident, the parents of the child filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturer of the vehicle in which their son was a passenger. They claimed that the location of the gas tank was directly linked with the death of their son. The gas tank of the vehicle…

While most of us might not have realized it, a seismic change took place at hospitals around the nation this past weekend. Indeed, the change affects not just patient care, but the experience and education gained by treating physicians. Specifically, as of last Saturday, the nation's roughly 30,000 first-year medical residents, meaning interns who have just graduated from medical school, can now work longer shifts under a new rule. What exactly does this new rule dictate? The new rule changes the number of hours that first-year residents can work in a given shift from a limit of 16 hours to 24 hours. Furthermore, they are also permitted to work an average max of 80 hours per week, meaning they can exceed the 24-hour limit. Why did they change the limit from 16 hours to 24 hours? The issue of the number of hours first-year residents should be permitted to work has…

It may seem hard to believe, but the Fourth of July holiday is nearly here, meaning people across the state will soon be heading to parades, fireworks celebrations, and, of course, backyard barbeques. While the highlight of these gatherings for adults is almost always the food and beverages, this is certainly not the case for children. For them, the best parts are the impromptu games, the visits with friends and, of course, the pools. While this fascination with swimming pools is perhaps not surprising, it's also something of which parents and homeowners need to be aware. In case they need any reminding, they needn't look any further than a recently released report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to the CPSC report, while fatal child drownings declined by 17 percent from 2010 to 2014 (the range for which the most complete data is available), there were still an astounding 346…

If you think back to the last time you met with a physician, chances are good that the first thing you did when they entered the exam room was shaking their hand. If you have a hard time remembering doing this, it's likely because you did it without thinking, as it's firmly ingrained in our society that handshakes are the customary mode of greeting. Indeed, chances are good that if the physician had declined to shake your hand or instead greeted you with a bow, fist bump, or wave that you would have no problem remembering this departure from the norm. As bizarre as this may sound, it's exactly what a group of California-based physicians and medical professionals did as part of a six-month experiment. Specifically, a UCLA physician conducted a very basic study in which he asked staff members in the neonatal intensive care units at two different hospitals…

A study released at this time last year by researchers at Johns Hopkins University raised some very real concerns about patient safety. To recap, the study, published in The BMJ, found that over 250,000 deaths per year can be attributed to medical errors, making it the third-highest cause of death in the U.S. While there has since been some debate as to whether this is indeed the case, there is no denying that medical errors are a very real concern that must be taken seriously by both physicians and patients alike. Indeed, questions naturally arise as to what patients can do to protect themselves. The good news is that there are some relatively simple steps patients can take in almost any scenario to help prevent falling victim to medical errors. By way of example, consider the always nerve-wracking reality of a patient learning they will need to undergo a surgical procedure.…

When it comes to safety awareness, April is an exceedingly busy month. That's because in addition to the entire month being designated National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the week of the 3-7 was National Work Zone Awareness Week and the week of the 9-15 was National Dog Bite Prevention Week. While these are all extremely important safety issues meriting special attention, it can understandably prove to be difficult to keep track of them all. However, given that more people are now going to be outside owing to the return of spring and the fact that estimates show there are now close to 70 million dogs living in U.S. households, it's perhaps worthwhile to revisit some of the lessons of National Dog Bite Prevention Week. In the event you question the need for such an exercise, consider the following: More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs here in the U.S.…

While improving economic conditions has resulted in rising wages, greater job stability, and increased employment opportunities, they have also had the other less obvious impact of putting more people back on the road. Indeed, this reality, coupled with low gas prices, has resulted in a considerable spike in the number of motor vehicle miles traveled. Although this may seem like a welcome development, it actually comes at a time when more people than ever are choosing to make the transition from motorist to pedestrian owing to everything from improved public transportation and monetary concerns to a desire to live a healthier lifestyle and reduce their carbon footprint. Of course, with this increase in motorists and pedestrians -- and the number of smartphones owned by each -- comes a heightened risk of fatal accidents. It wasn't until the Governors Highway Safety Association released a report last week examining the number of…

In the event you find yourself in a hospital room in the near future -- whether as a patient or a visitor -- chances are good you'll be struck by how clean the room seems and how much emphasis seems to be put on fighting the spread of infection. Indeed, surfaces may be gleaming, linens changed frequently, and hand sanitizer readily available. It isn't your imagination, as hospitals across the nation are making a concerted effort to fight the spread of bacteria such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococc (VRE) that have taken a very real and very deadly toll on patients. Consider that statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that there were an estimated 722,000 infections in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2011 alone and that roughly 75,000 of these affected patients died during their hospitalizations. While efforts to curb deadly infection…

Two police officers could face civil litigation after their criminal convictions in the Taser death of a suspect. The officers were both convicted in mid-December, with the jury only requiring 30 minutes to deliver verdicts in connection with this latest in a string of police-induced fatal accidents. Police departments throughout Georgia and the rest of the nation have been facing increasing civil pressure from wrongful death suits, particularly those related to Tasers and stun guns. This is one of the few high-profile criminal cases that have resulted in an actual conviction. In this case, the victim was reportedly shocked more than a dozen times as he was being taken into custody by the two officers. The man, who had fled the scene of an alleged domestic disturbance, lost consciousness shortly after the repeated shocks. Medical experts in the case found that the cause of death was directly related to the…