Uncategorized 48 articles

Federal officials have ordered a Massachusetts-based emergency medical air transport company to compensate and reinstate a pilot whistleblower who was fired after reporting concerns about safety violations to federal regulators. While stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, in December 2015, the helicopter pilot voiced his apprehension to his employer, Boston MedFlight, about whether a new scheduling policy provided pilots with the required rest time as mandated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. The following month, the pilot contacted the FAA to register his concerns about the scheduling. Boston MedFlight fired the pilot in March 2016 after he ... Read More

After nearly two years rife with rejections and requests for more information, Portola Pharmaceuticals’ AndexXa has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as the only antidote to reverse the blood thinning effects of the Factor Xa inhibitor anticoagulants Xarelto and Eliquis, in cases of life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding. Xarelto and Eliquis work by inhibiting a protein involved in the formation of blood clots. They are used to prevent strokes in patients with the common heart rhythm abnormality atrial fibrillation, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to prevent blood clots in patients who ... Read More

The biggest index used by Wall Street to gauge stock market volatility, known as the Cboe Volatility Index or VIX, is being manipulated, causing wild market swings and costing investors hundreds of millions of dollars a month, an anonymous whistleblower has warned the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The whistleblower, a senior executive who worked at many of the largest investment firms in the world, made the allegations in a letter to the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sent by a Washington D.C. law firm. According to USA Today, the whistleblower alleges that the market manipulators are ... Read More

Rolling back workplace safety regulations, downsizing its already overstretched crew of inspectors, and now concealing workplace injury and illness records … the news coming out of Trump’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) these days may signal darker times ahead for U.S. workers. The government watchdog group Public Citizen said it has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor and OSHA, alleging the federal agencies are violating the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses rule, which was finalized in 2016, by illegally denying requests for injury and illness data it made under the Freedom of Information Act. According ... Read More

The mother of a stuntman killed on the set of The Walking Dead is suing the hit show’s producers and several others, accusing them of “cutting corners” and risking the lives of those on set. Susan Bernecker’s son John Bernecker was shooting at The Walking Dead’s filming location in Senoia, Georgia, on July 12, 2017, when he fell head-first off a balcony and landed on a concrete floor 22 feet below. The 33-year-old professional stuntman died of massive head injuries sustained in the fall. According to the Daily Report, Mr. Bernecker was acting as a stunt double for a Walking Dead character. Another ... Read More

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), one of the most commonly used drugs the U.S., have been linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer, according to new research conducted by the University College London. The new research backs earlier research that linked the drugs to stomach cancer in previous studies. The heartburn and acid reflux medication sold both by prescription as well as over the counter, is often taken for months – or even years – despite the recommended maximum time-frame of two to four weeks. The latest study found that people who took PPIs for two weeks were twice as likely ... Read More

A Wisconsin woman who suffered severe burn injuries when an e-cigarette exploded in her pants pocket is suing the vape shop that sold her the device, the distributor of the allegedly faulty device, and the manufacturer of the lithium-ion batteries that caused the blast. The Madison County Record reports that plaintiff Audra Buckley says she bought an e-cigarette with two mini lithium-ion batteries from Green Forest Vapor Shop in Waterloo, Wisconsin on Jan. 4, 2017. The lithium-ion batteries, she claims, were unreasonably dangerous because they exploded in her pocket. The exploding lithium-ion batteries left her with burn injuries on her ... Read More

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Dec. 5 announced a whistleblower award of more than $4.1 million to a former company insider who alerted the agency to a “widespread, multi-year securities law violation.” The SEC said that after initially contacting the agency about the alleged violations, the whistleblower continued to provide important information and assistance to the SEC throughout its investigation. The whistleblower was the third awarded by the SEC in less than a week’s time. Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower, said that whistleblowers are instrumental in helping federal regulators finding and investigating violations of securities ... Read More

TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline spilled about 210,000 gallons of oil Thursday, Nov. 16 in northeastern South Dakota, just days before regulators decide whether to allow another extension of the pipeline – the Keystone XL – to move forward. Brian Walsh, spokesman for the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, told CNN that Thursday’s oil spill was the largest to date in the state. The oil spill occurred about three miles northeast of Amherst, South Dakota. “It is a below-ground pipeline but some oil has surfaced above ground to the grass,” Mr. Walsh told CNN. “It will be a few ... Read More

An exploding lithium battery inside a camera bag sent people at Orlando International Airport into a panic Friday and prompted the evacuation of the main terminal building. The noises the lithium battery made as it overheated and exploded were mistaken by many in the airport for a bomb or other terrorist incident, according to various reports. News of a shootout at the airport circulated on social media immediately following the blast. No injuries were reported. According to WKMG ClickOrlando, the lithium battery explosion occurred around 5 p.m. at the security checkpoint at the entrance to gates 1-59. “As a result ... Read More