Jacksonville Legal Issues Blog

Interactive, reality-based elements could do a lot to boost teen driver education courses. This is the conclusion of a Baylor University study, which analyzed the effect of a supplemental drivers' education program on teens' risk awareness and driving behavior. Parents of teens in North Carolina may want to learn more about the program.

The Texas Reality Education for Drivers program is a one-day, six-hour class set in a hospital. While it incorporates traditional elements like lectures, videos and discussions, these are not at the center of the program. Teens are taken on guided tours through the hospital's emergency rooms, ICU and morgue and even converse with health care staffers about their experiences treating crash victims.

When North Carolina residents apply for Social Security Disability Insurance, they may find that the process moves too slowly. People who apply for benefits often need the support urgently, so the delays and lags in the process can be difficult to deal with. There is often little a person can do to speed up the pace of an application, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

People who have not yet filed their claim but have an appointment for an SSDI benefits application interview can help to reduce processing time by bringing all of the information that could be required by the claims representative. These materials can include the applicant's birth certificate, social security card, life insurance information, investment details, photo identification, proof of marriage or divorce and any record of past military service. Applicants can also bring a list of all of their current medications and dosages, a written history of their employment experience over the past 15 years and a list of all of their doctors and sources of treatment.

Chemical handlers and their employers can consider the following safety rules, leaving out some and adding any of their own depending on the needs of their workplace. The first rule is to follow all established procedures. Employers therefore have to ensure proper training. Secondly, employers should have emergency procedures in place, such as for evacuation and incident reporting.

Workers should have personal protective equipment that's appropriate for the workplace, such as gloves or respirators, and not worn or damaged. Before they start working, employees are encouraged to think about what could go wrong. Keeping the work area clean is also essential. Cleaning work surfaces at least once during every shift can prevent contamination.

Anyone in North Carolina who has to work around small or heavy-duty machinery should know about the dangers. Improper use of machinery, as well as its poor maintenance, can result in serious and sometimes fatal injuries. Both employees and employers will want to consider the five safety tips given below to prevent such incidents from occurring.

Machine-related injuries often arise from a lack of protective guarding. Saws, lathes and any machines with moving parts should have the appropriate form of guarding on them. Examples include barrier guards, light curtains and two-hand controls, which keep the operators' hands away from unsafe zones. With these, workers can better avoid burns and eye injuries from sparks and flying chips.