Recent News – Smith & Griffith Legal Blog

Improving worker safety with startup’s new tech Every year in South Carolina and across the U.S., companies and insurers pay out hundreds of billions of dollars in workers compensation claims. Reviewing these claims can be a drawn-out process wherever accurate data is lacking. Worldwide, workplace accidents take the lives of more than 1,000 people every…

Avoiding construction claims for falls Construction employers in South Carolina are likely aware that falls from elevated surfaces are a frequent cause of injury in this field. Over the past five years, Nationwide Insurance has processed over 10,000 workers’ compensation claims among construction companies, and 30 percent of them involved falls. This was part of…

Seat belts lower chance of severe liver injuries If drivers in South Carolina are looking for one more reason to wear their seat belts, they can consider the results of a new study. Researchers at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn studied crash data in the National Trauma Data Bank spanning from 2010 to 2015. All of the…

How business owners can keep their workers safe With tight deadlines and a fast-paced work environment, employers may find it hard to enforce safety guidelines here in South Carolina. This can mean an increase in worker injuries, higher workers’ compensation costs, higher medical expenses and a decrease in productivity. If employers show little concern about…

Parkland shooting gives rise to wrongful death suit The Parkland school shooting that took place on Feb. 14 led to the deaths of 17 people. Residents of South Carolina should know that the father of one of the victims, who was a student, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against several defendants. One of them…

Campaign aims to cut out traffic fatalities Drivers in South Carolina often worry about the dangers that they could face when they get behind the wheel. A new project, called the Road to Zero Coalition, has been formed in order to make driving a safer proposition by achieving a dramatic reduction in traffic fatalities. Over…

Daydreaming is more dangerous than texting and driving While many South Carolina drivers are aware of the dangers of texting and driving, they may not be aware that inattention and boredom when driving can be just as dangerous. In fact, a study found that 61 percent of fatal distracted driving accidents were actually caused by…

Stand-down to prevent construction falls slated for May For the fifth year in a row, OSHA is hosting its National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction. Together with NIOSH and the Center for Construction Research and Training, OSHA encourages all employers in the construction industry to shut down operations at some point between May…

Radiology computers may be causing workplace injuries According to a new review article, the modernization of radiology may be causing some South Carolina radiologists to experience neck and back pain. The article was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology in March. An ACR survey of almost 500 radiology practice leaders found…

Distracted driving a serious hazard The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stated that in 2015, 3,477 people were killed in crashes involving distracted driving. The same year also saw 391,000 people injured in similar crashes. With the development of new technologies, distracted driving is becoming more prevalent across South Carolina and the rest of…