Halloween can become a scary time for all the wrong reasons. Unsafe costumes, walking in the streets, getting candy from strangers... The risks are real, but there are a number of things you can do to keep your trick-or-treaters safe.

"Stay in school" was President Obama's message to the nation's schoolchildren Tuesday as a new academic year opened throughout much of the country. The message was echoed by Inez Tenenbaum, Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, as she traveled back to South Carolina, her home state, to meet with students and faculty at a Columbia elementary school. However, Tenenbaum's message to students emphasized staying in school by remaining safety conscious and staying out of the hospital.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, latest figures show that there were 4.2 million occupational injuries and illnesses among U.S. employees in 2005, and about 4.6 of every 100 employees experienced a job-related injury or illness. In 2006, 5,703 employees died on the job.

According to a Los Angeles Times editorial published last week, "A solid and growing body of studies shows that texting, conversing on hand-held phones or even chatting hands-free ... make us dangerous drivers, as likely to get into an accident as if we were legally drunk."

A total of 5,071 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2008, down from a total of 5,657 fatal work injuries reported for 2007. While the 2008 results are preliminary, this figure represents the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program was first conducted in 1992. Final results for 2008 will be released in April 2010.

News outlets have been reporting new cases of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, and warning of more to come. While we are waiting on vaccinations to become available, the FDA has warned against some potential scams from folks marketing bogus products to protect you from or cure you of H1N1.

It was nearly two years ago that independent research uncovered the presence of deadly asbestos in a child's toy, based on the popular CBS television program, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It was found that the CSI toy's fingerprinting powder contained asbestos. The fingerprinting powder is included in CSI-themed investigation toy kits including the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation™ Fingerprint Examination Kit (CSI Exam Kit) and the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation™ Forensic Lab Kit (CSI Lab Kit). This week, a proposed settlement of a nationwide class action against CBS Broadcasting, Inc. and major toy retailers would, if approved, give cash refunds to consumers and effectively implement a nationwide recall of the toy kits.

On January 16, 2008, Henry Jinright was involved in a motor vehicle wreck. A car, driven by an employee of Werner Enterprises, failed to yield the right-of-way. Mr. Jinright lost the sight in his right eye.

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer fun and activities for people throughout the country. For millions of Americans, summer fun involves cleaning the back yard pool for the season's first use or heading to the community pool with the kids, which is why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released its latest pool and spa safety report just before the Memorial Day weekend.

Many times when our skilled team of professional investigators takes a look at a personal injury claim, they find a defective product is to blame. This is especially true in the case of workers injured on the job. What might initially appear to be a worker’s compensation claim might turn out to be a case involving a dangerous product or piece of equipment, about which employers should have been aware. In this article, Beasley Allen attorney Kendall Dunson discusses a case where a man working at a log processing facility lost his leg to defective equipment used to feed the logs through the process.