safety

Studies have shown that child abuse can have long-term effects on both victims and society. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, such experiences can be associated with negative psychological and behavioral consequences for the victim well into adult life. Societal consequences include the costs associated with the child welfare and criminal justice systems, as well as the indirect costs associated with a loss of productivity due to underemployment.

The seasonal ritual of snow-shoveling carries with it broader and more significant public health risks than that of the proverbial aching muscles. Though many serious injuries, hospitalizations, and deaths result every year from shoveling in the United States, scarce attention is paid to proper rules of safety.

Following the destructive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the United States Tsunami Warning and Education Act was signed December 2006. Among other things, the act called for broadening of the global historical tsunami database to include data on coastal water levels, damage reports and deep-water changes.

By the very nature of their youth, teen drivers have little experience on the road. They also have a great comfort with and reliance on cell phones and other electronic devices, which have become a serious concern as a cause of distracted driving.

In the food industry, the federal Pathogen Reduction Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Program regulates meat and poultry processing plants. Estimates of the compliance costs of this program range from as low as 0.04 cents per pound to as much as 20 cents per pound.  While these estimates include actual costs, they do not distinguish between the different components of the rule itself and other indirect factors that could also affect costs.

Hearing loss in the United States has been shown to be on the rise — a 2008 survey found that 35 million Americans suffer from the partial or complete loss of the ability to hear. While some of this is due to the  aging of the baby boomer generation, hearing loss among younger Americans has also increased.

Some two million hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have been sold in the United States since commercial production began in 1999. Among the advantages typically mentioned are that hybrids are cleaner, more energy-efficient and quieter. However, one of these apparent benefits carries with it potential risks for other road users, who are accustomed to an environment dominated by louder combustion-engine vehicles (CEVs).

Energy drinks, once aimed exclusively at athletes, have become a significant force in the worldwide beverage market. They come in a dizzying variety of colors, often feature exotic ingredients — guarana, ginseng, and ginkgo biloba, to name just a few — and aren’t shy when it comes to health claims. Marketers’ efforts to rebrand such drinks as “nutrition beverages” have continued to spur sales growth, though this comes at a time when the content of the drinks is coming under increased scrutiny.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nine million cribs have been recalled since September 2007 because of safety issues. While many studies have been conducted on the rate of infant mortalities which occurred in cribs, playpens and bassinets, until recently little was known about the non-fatal injuries.