Escape velocity is the speed an object must reach to break the bonds of a planet’s gravitational force and get into orbit. To enter orbit around the Earth, for example, a spacecraft needs to be going at a staggering 7 miles per second (25,000 miles per hour). This creates a difficult series of connected problems. The vehicle requires a lot of fuel. Fuel adds weight. More weight means more thrust is required. Greater thrust demands more fuel. And so it goes on … Another situation where speed has a crucial effect on the outcome is in relation to pedestrian road traffic accidents. In this article, we will consider the significance of vehicle speed in pedestrian collisions. Secondly, we will consider the effect of some other factors apart from impact speed. Finally, we will look at some of the implications for measures which can be taken to improve road safety. Frontal impact collision research has considered the effect of speed. Research into road accidents involving Continue Reading
Do you have a compensation claim for a minor injury?
Caffeine is the most widely-consumed psycho-active substance in the world. By ‘psycho-active’, we mean that it has effects on the central nervous system such as improving energy levels, increasing alertness and, in some people, elevating their mood. Many substances are attractive to us partly because they contain caffeine. If you search online using the phrase “tea has more caffeine than coffee”, you will get about 835,000 results. The wording of the search reflects a commonly-held conception: that tea works better than coffee as a caffeine-delivery system. But is that correct? Studies have shown that tea leaves have more caffeine than coffee beans. But that’s not how things finish up in the cup. The main difference between tea and coffee is how much of it gets leeched into the hot water used to make the drink. In fact, you end up with about twice as much caffeine in a cup of coffee as in a cup of tea. It’s all about surface area: coffee beans get ground up, so more of the Continue Reading
Test Your Knowledge of Ladder and Stepladder Safety
In the period 2004/05, according to HSE statistics, a third of all reported incidents involving a fall from height also involved ladders or stepladders. This equated to an average of 14 deaths from ladder accidents per year and 1,200 major injuries in the workplace. Many injuries were caused by incorrect use of the equipment. HSE’s theory was that misuse of ladders at work could be partly explained by the way they were used in the home. They did not elaborate on that observation but they probably meant that we all tend to learn about the use of ladders and stepladders by trial and error and from other people (e.g. relatives) who are not necessarily trained in their use. This results in us having an unjustified level of confidence in the use of ladders and stepladders. It can lead to dangers in the home but it is likely to be much more dangerous in the workplace. HSE’s figures for 2014/15 show that falls from height accounted for nearly three in ten fatal injuries to workers (41 Continue Reading
Wrist Injury Claims
Elgin’s Dr Gray’s Hospital takes its name from Alexander Gray. He was born in Elgin but died in India in 1807, having spent over 20 years working as a surgeon for the East India Company. He had amassed quite a fortune and he bequeathed the bulk of his estate to his native town. The sum of £20,000 (probably equivalent to more than £1 million today) was allocated “for the establishment of a hospital … for the sick and the poor”. Gray’s next of kin contested the will and it was not until 1814 that a court declared the money to be free for use to buy a plot of ground on the west side of the town. Building went ahead from the following year and the (then, 30-bed) hospital opened on 01 January 1819. 1814 was an important year for the future practice of medicine in Moray but it was also an important year in the wider medical world. 1814 was also a significant year in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of wrist injuries. In 1814, Abraham Colles (1773–1843), an Irish surgeon who Continue Reading