We blogged a while back about the Food and Drug Administration investigating the safety of a number of over-the-counter pediatric medicines, namely Children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl, and Zyrtec. The drugs are manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Johnson & Johnson. The company issued a voluntary recall of some 43 over-the-counter children’s medicines.

Since the April accident in which a TriMet bus driver struck and killed two and injured three, the transit agency has undergone a safety review. Conducted by K&J Safety and Security Consulting Services, an initial report was recently issued. The report pinpoints some areas for improvement, though it does commend TriMet for having better than average safety programs. The report recommends TriMet limit cell phone usage by bus drivers as well as implement a twice yearly review of each bus driver on “observation rides.”

The latest report on Oregon workplace deaths was just released by the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE), a federally funded program at Oregon Health Sciences University. The report tracks occupational fatalities from 2007. FACE culls the death information not only from such government agencies as Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), and other entities, such as military organizations or police agencies, but it also investigates other sources, such as small-town newspaper obituary sections.

TriMet continues its overview of safety procedures in the wake of the tragic bus accident that killed two and injured three others. So far the bus driver has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing, and TriMet has implemented some changes to several bus routes.

Summer is approaching, which means it’s time to break out the sunscreen. Some people think it’s a good idea to ease into the summer tanning season by “breaking in” their tans with a few trips to tanning salons. Not a good idea! A study found that indoor tanning can double one’s risk for melanoma. In fact, it can increase the risk of melanoma two to four times.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering issuing warnings on indoor tanning. Tanning beds are labeled as Class I by the Food and Drug Administration, which means they are low risk, but this classification may be revisited and tanning beds more strictly regulated. Currently tanning beds do sport warning labels that indicate some risk of cancer, but they are not prominent.

You’ll remember the story about the TriMet bus driver who ran over five pedestrians in a crosswalk, resulting in the deaths of two of them. It happened in late April in downtown Portland, OR. The driver was making a left turn. A grand jury today found the driver not guilty of criminal wrongdoing, but she may face misdemeanor charges, including charges for careless driving and making an illegal left turn.

Some consumers aren’t too happy about the Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers diapers featuring the new Dry Max technology. In fact, a class action complaint was just filed against Procter & Gamble, the manufacturer of Pampers-brand diapers, by firm Keller Rohrback LLP. The complaint alleges that the diapers cause rashes, burns, and other skin ailments.

Procter & Gamble has denied any wrongdoing or flaws with the Dry Max technology. The company says Dry Max was thoroughly researched and tested and does not cause rashes or skin conditions. It further claims Dry Max technology is a breakthrough technology and its most significant diaper innovation in the last 25 years.

TriMet has been under increasing scrutiny after the recent left-turn bus accident that left two dead and three injured. The agency was initially hesitant to change bus routes to eliminate or decrease left turns but has since changed its tune and implemented changes to three of its downtown routes.

There is plenty of evidence that left turns by buses are more dangerous than other turns. In fact, a study by the Federal Transit Administration found that accidents between buses and pedestrians are more than twice as likely to occur during left turns. Other agencies, such as those in Des Moines, Iowa, and Cleveland, Ohio, have altered routes to eliminate left turns. In addition, buses making right turns are required to sound a warning honk. The transit agency in Richmond, Virginia, will soon have buses that verbally warn pedestrians of impending turns.

Watch this video to see the potential blind spot problems on a TriMet (2100 series, these are older buses and not believed to be the bus involved in the 4/24/10 incident) bus due to current placement of mirrors and pillar.  It may take up to 4 minutes to load the video.

Demonstration of Blind Spot Problems with TriMet Bus

Responding to criticism about its response to left-turn pedestrian injuries and deaths, TriMet announced plans Friday to rework three downtown Portland bus lines.  It is about time.

Is it just driver error or are drivers set up for failure due to problems with the visibility from the bus?  TriMet was asked to raise the driver side mirrors and to eliminate or reduce left turns long before the April 24, 2010 travesty in Portland.  Pressure from the media and public seems to get TriMet’s attention so make sure your voice is heard.