USDA revokes Beef Product exemption

According to the New York Times, Beef Products, Inc. is a South Dakota company that essentially uses beef products such fatty trimmings the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil, treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria, and puts them back into the market. The trimmings were particularly susceptible to contamination, but a study commissioned by the company showed that the ammonia process would kill E. coli as well as salmonella. Officials at the USDA endorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli “to an undetectable level.” They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products. ” These trimmings were then sold and included in student lunches. They were also put in products used by fast food chains and grocery chains.

After the USDA was informed by the Times that government and industry testing showed that some of the lunches were contaminated with E. coli and salmonella, the exemtion was revoked. The Times report raises the issue as to whether the ammonia treatment is effective. Further, the Times reports that the Beef Products case reveals a schism between the main Department of Agriculture and its division that oversees the school lunch program, a divide that underscores the government’s faltering effort to make hamburger safe. Further, I believe it speak to the issue as to whether low quality trimmings that would not otherwise be included in food fed to school children should be used simply because it is treated with a chemical such as ammonia. School officials like the product because the Beef Product, Inc. meat is substantially lower in cost. The Times reports that it is a “mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips, [and] is used in a majority of the hamburger sold nationwide….[and] it has remained little known outside industry and government circles. Federal officials agreed to the company’s request that the ammonia be classified as a “processing agent” and not an ingredient that would be listed on labels.” I believe our school children deserve better and that such information should not be hidden from the general public. mmm…delicious……

Truck Drivers Stranded

Arrow trucking left drivers high and dry- cancelling gas cards-stranded on the road, without warning. Some were without money to get home.A good article is in the CSMonitor and support group has been formed which You can find on Facebook.

We have our share of truck accident claims and know most truck drivers and trucking companies try to do the right thing. The bad ones are dangerous and a poor refection on the industry. What Arrow did was plain wrong.

WE ARE ADVOCATES – A PERSONAL REFLECTION

We started this blog to inform people. To inform them of product recalls, truck accidents and consumer safety. I am proud to be part of that process. But, today, I would like to take that “blogger hat” off and share a story, my story.

I am so proud that I am a future trial attorney. A future personal injury attorney. I see it as the best way to advocate for people, to assure they are not taken advantage of and that they get the justice they deserve.

I have traveled a long road to get here. I graduated law school and am gearing up to take the bar exam. The passing of my friend Rick has let me see how important it is that I achieve my lifetime goal of becoming a “trial attorney.”

Rick passed on Saturday after being involved in a fatal auto accident. He was not just my friend, he was my welding partner back when I worked as a MIG welder. It was while at that job that my resolve to become an attorney was solidified.

I witnessed and was exposed to dangerous working conditions. The jig he and I welded our beams on still gives me the creeps. No guards, wet floors, no respirators…But we all worked there so that we could support ourselves financially and for men like Rick, to support their families.

I’ve been there. I know about workplace hazards. I am blessed to have had that experience because it fuels my fire to advocate for others who are at jobs because they are doing what they have to do to be good providers. The men I worked with will forever be my heroes and I have so much respect for them. I look forward to giving back as an advocate. Here’s to wishing no one ever gets injured on their job or in a car accident! But if tragedy strikes I will (we will) advocate for you.

Here’s to you Rick. I could not have asked for a better welding partner. Thank you for inspiring me and teaching me so much. We ran some killer beads, my friend. Here’s to better working conditions! (Like you and I used to talk about)

I – 90 accidents – safety tips

As a truck accident attorney I see too many horrific truck accidents and car accidents. Lately there have been a rash of them on I-90 and nearby roads, such as route 219. A few safety tips for those traveling for the holidays.

Be aware of the potential for black ice.

Give other vehicles plenty of space.

It is OK to pass trucks, but don’t stay along side of them for long periods.

When passing a truck , pull ahead until You can see it’s headlights in your rear view mirror before You move back into the truck’s lane.

TRUCKS HAVE BLIND SPOTS. Don’t assume a truck driver can see You.

Following too closely, it impairs Your ability to see ahead. Seeing ahead is key to preventing a tragedy.

If You are in a car or truck crash, get everyone out of harms way. Often the worse injuries are caused by second collisions or pileups.

Of course, talking and texting are distracted driving. Be safe.

HIGHWAY WORK ZONE SAFETY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

The New York Times reported today that there needs to be increased safety in highway work areas. Approximately 160 people are killed and 11,000 injured each year from unsafe conditions, just from pavement edge drop-offs alone. The steeper the drop off the more dangerous the condition becomes. “There are virtually no laws or regulations mandating safety measures, only loosely enforced standards that differ from state to state. As a result, there are few penalties levied against contractors when…guidelines are violated.” Highway work zones across the country that have killed at least 4,700 people — more than two a day — and injured 200,000 in the last five years alone. It was reported that there are almost no laws concerning that matter and that standards are loosely enforced. Although most of the time drivers are blamed, it was reported that studies show that work zone areas highly increase the number of accidents. Sometimes hundreds of accidents will occurr over the life of a project.

It was reported that “Yet while federal regulators carefully track the ways motorists cause accidents, they do not make the same attempt to determine when contractors and state highway planners are at fault, and as a result, work-zone crashes are often under-reported or inaccurately reported. That task is left mostly to the imperfect forum of civil courts, where cases are often settled in secret and where important revelations about unsafe construction practices remain unseen and unheeded.”

Free Gloves and Holiday Greetings!

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Solstice….

Wishing you all good health, lots of love, warmth and joy this Holiday Season!

Please know, we have winter gloves for those in need in our office lobby. Please stop by: 438 Main Street, Buffalo. Suite 910 (9th floor). Please, help yourselves and if you want – say “hi” too, we love visitors and usually have coffee brewing. OK, OK, truth is….we always have coffee brewing.

Much love to you all!! Again, Happy Holidays!

COLGAN AND UNION DIFFER ON CAUSE OF CRASH

The Buffalo News reported today that Colgan Air says the probable cause of February’s fatal crash in Clarence Center that claimed 50 lives was the pilots’ “loss of situational awareness and failure to follow Colgan Air training and procedures, which led to a loss of control of the aircraft.” The regional airline company, in a 66-page report to the National Transportation Safety Board, also cited as contributing to the crash the lack of low-speed warnings in the cockpit instrument panel on the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 turboprop. It was also reported that the pilots union said a combination of factors caused the crash. The union cited Colgan for failing to adequately prepare the pilots for the conditions that faced them Feb. 12, when the aircraft went into an aerodynamic stall and spun out of control.The two reports were submitted Dec. 7 as the board continues to investigate the cause of the turboprop crash.

Bringing cheer to those in need

Every year during the Holiday season Child & Family Services here in Buffalo, NY holds their Adopt-a-Family program. The program matches donors with needy families in our city.

This year, attorney Paul Becker adopted a family through the program and reached out to our office for help in providing gifts to a needy family. All of the attorneys and employees at Suite 910 of the Main-Court building contributed generously to the cause.

Child and Family Services provided Paul with two names, a mother and her son and a wish list for each. There were no wishes for video games on this list rather the wishes were basic needs: warm clothes, shirts, gloves…

Paul placed two boxes in our communal copy area and asked his coworkers to chip in, if they could. Over the week the boxes were quickly filled. The single mother and her son I am sure will be excited to see the Sabres and Bills clothing, hats, gloves, books, TOPS gift card, books, scented lotions, bus tokens and other goodies.

If you are interested in this program please click on the link above.

Swine flu vaccine recall

The New York Times has reported that, “Sanofi-aventis,” a producer of one type of swine flu vaccine has recalled 800,000 doses of the vaccine due to lack of potency.

The doses being recalled are low dose vaccines intended for babies between 6 and 35 months of age.

However, most of the doses have most likely already been administered to babies. Dr. Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases has stated, “We think children who got the vaccine are fully protected, assuming they got the two shots we recommended for that age.”

BLINDS AND SHADES RECALLED

MSN reported today that over 50 Million Roman and roll-up shades are being recalled due to risk of strangulation. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday that about 50 million window coverings need to be repaired to make them safe for kids. About 5 million Roman shades and 3 million roll-up blinds are sold each year. They reported that 8 children have died and 16 have been injured since 2001. It was reported that the CPSC has issued so many recalls for different types of Roman shades and blinds, the agency is now considering new mandatory design standards to keep kids safe. This is an example of a product that should have undergone rigorous study and testing before it hit the market.