Kansas City, Missouri Personal Injury Blog

Americans love lists. The media, professionals, safety experts and educators sort and rank every conceivable aspect of American life on a regular basis. This American preoccupation with listing things helps both individuals and organizations quickly reference an endless number of topics. Whether it comes to researching the top vacation spots across the nation or the primary causes of a certain kind of cancer, we Americans are constantly referencing handy and often critical lists.

In terms of patient safety, lists are often a focal point for physicians, hospital administrators and safety experts. By grouping critical safety concerns into lists, these individuals can focus their attention on the most pressing safety matters and viable solutions available in regards to patient safety. One recent list is helping administrators to avoid the kinds of gross patient safety mistakes that lead to hospital malpractice.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) have long been at odds over certain provisions contained in the new Hours of Service (HOS) rules. These regulations are set to go into effect on July 1 of this year. The ATA had requested that the start date be delayed so that its concerns could be more fully explored. The FMCSA recently denied this request.

The HOS rules aim to reduce the number of truck accidents that occur each year on American roads. Specifically, they aim to reduce the prevalence of driver fatigue, which is a factor in a startling number of these accidents. However, the ATA is concerned that the revised provisions related to fatigue will impact the financial viability of the industry and may cause safety challenges in other areas of the trucking process.

The subject of mammograms has become surprisingly controversial in recent years. A great deal of time, energy and other resources have been spent by many individuals in the medical industry who have attempted to determine how often women should be subjected to this diagnostic procedure. In short, a balance must be struck by which women are diagnosed with breast cancer in time to adequately treat it, but they are not subjected to the procedure so often that the risk of diagnostic error increases significantly.

Even with an increased focus on this issue and a significant amount of resources fueling debate and research on the issue, women continue to be subjected to mammography misdiagnosis at unacceptable rates. According to a study recently published in the journal Radiology, radiologists are most frequently the subject of malpractice lawsuits related to misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose breast cancer claims as a result of negligence related to mammography.

Workers like to think that they are generally safe at work; however accidents can happen anywhere, even in the workplace. Workers here in Missouri are protected by various laws and regulations that are in place to help keep these accidents from happening, but unfortunately, when employers violate these laws they needlessly place the safety of their workforce at risk.

A recent fine imposed by an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of another state is just one illustration of how regulatory violations can increase the chances of worker injury.

The fine, which totals $60,250, stems from a workplace fire that took place in a refinery last May - after which 12 workplace violations were discovered by that state's OSHA, 11 of which were considered serious. Some of the violations include:

• Failure by the company to provide burn cream and inability to treat employees within minutes following a fire
• Failure by the company to inspect portable eyewash stations and provide fast employee access to these stations and emergency showers
• Failure by the company to train employees in proper safety techniques and procedures
• Failure by the company to finish "management-of-change" procedures before installing new emergency showers and eyewash stations