By now, the Pokémon Go craze has spread almost everywhere in the nation, including Baltimore. While this popular game – which requires players to capture animated Pokémon characters projected on their cellphone screens amid the player’s actual surroundings – has coaxed countless kids and adults off the couch, it has also gotten several people injured. In fact, the internet is rife with stories of people walking into traffic, trees and even off rocky ledges as they try to catch Pokémon on their cellphones.

A man was killed in a multi-car accident that took place in Baltimore July 6. Maryland Transportation Authority police said that the fatal crash involved three cars and occurred on Interstate 95 North. Two other people who were injured but survived the accident were treated at Shock Trauma.

The accident happened just north of the Fort McHenry toll plaza and was reported at 12:15 p.m. Police confirmed that the deceased victim of the accident died at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. There were no immediate reports about what might have caused the three-car accident or whether any of the drivers involved are facing criminal charges. After car accidents like this, the drivers involved are often tested for drugs and alcohol so that investigators can determine whether intoxication was a factor.

Welders in Maryland workplaces are usually extremely careful as they know that a stray spark could easily start a fire, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges them to also bear in mind that the fumes created by pressure or fusion welding can also be extremely dangerous. Toxic substances found in welding fumes include traces of dangerous metals like beryllium, lead and arsenic, noxious gases such as hydrogen fluoride and asphyxiants like argon.

Installing powerful exhaust systems is the best way that employers can protect their workers from toxic welding fumes, but breathing equipment may be issued when ventilation is not possible or welding is done in confined spaces. OSHA also recommends that employers consult their training materials to ensure that the dangers of welding fumes are addressed. Regularly removing layers of grime that could produce toxic smoke is also recommended by the federal safety agency.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a safety campaign to remind employers in Maryland and around the country about the dangers of working outdoors during the summer months. Heat issues were responsible for the deaths of 18 workers in 2014 according to OSHA data, and more than 2,600 others suffered a heat-related illness of some kind. The federal workplace safety agency is urging employers to pay particular attention to their training and orientation programs, as many of its heat-related investigations involve workers with just a few days of on-the-job experience.

Water, rest and shade is the driving message of the OSHA campaign, which is being supported by a social media push and a redesigned webpage. Training materials include a video and illustrations of the signs and symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Employers can also download a heat safety smartphone app.

Police in Maryland have reported that a 44-year-old woman was killed and three others were injured in a June 16 chain reaction accident in Anne Arundel County that involved seven vehicles. Police say that the driver of the sanitation truck that caused the crash made no effort to stop his vehicle or avoid a collision. Investigators say that excess speed is also thought to have been a contributory factor. Authorities are said to be reviewing the accident reports before deciding if any charges are warranted.

According to a police report, the woman’s Honda Accord sedan was stationary at a red light on Richie Highway in Pasadena with several other vehicles when a sanitation truck struck it from behind. The accident took place at approximately 2:10 p.m. near Jumpers Hole Road. The sanitation truck struck the Honda with sufficient force to push it forward and to one side. Witnesses say that the truck then continued on and struck several more of the vehicles that had been waiting for the signal to turn green.

If a person in Maryland consumes alcohol before they go to work, they could be injured on the job as a result of their intoxication. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to record alcohol-related injuries if the injuries are severe enough that they require more treatment than simple first aid.

Though there are certain exemptions to OSHA’s injury reporting rule, the fact that an injury was caused by off-the-job alcohol consumption does not make the injury exempt from reporting requirements. OSHA allows employers to keep injuries that are related to self-medication for a non-work-related condition out of their work injury records. Injuries that are intentionally self-inflicted or directly caused by an employee’s personal grooming activities are also exempt from reporting requirements.

Maryland workers who are injured on the job may be interested in some statistics to see how their ailments compare to injured workers nationwide. Roughly 3.7 million people suffer workplace injuries across the United States every year, according to federal statistics.

After analyzing 1.5 million injury claims that were filed over a four-year period, the nation’s biggest workers’ compensation insurance provider found that 30 percent of injuries suffered were sprains and strains, with employees missing an average of 57 work days. Cuts and punctures made up 19 percent of the injuries, accounting for 24 days of missed work. Contusions accounted for 12 percent of the injuries, with fractures and inflammations each accounting for 5 percent. All other injuries not in any of these categories amounted to 29 percent.

Maryland residents who are in the construction industry or other occupations in which they need to wear work boots should take care when choosing which ones to purchase. There are state and federal safety standards for work boots, and it is important for people to make certain the ones they are considering meet or exceed them.

While many shoe companies claim that their work boots do meet the standards, that is not always the case. It is important for workers to check the standards that are specific for their individual lines of work along with the standards set out by the state. This can help them with identifying the specific features the boots they purchase should have.

Maryland workers in high-risk occupations may be able to learn a lesson from a conference spearheaded by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Communications Commission. The February 2016 workshop brought a number of representatives from the communication tower industry together to highlight ongoing safety issues. Although factors like work-site design were revealed to impact safety, employer operating standards also played significant roles.

OSHA said that 36 workers perished in communication tower falls and other related accidents between 2011 and 2015. One factor that could have contributed to these statistics is the fact that many work sites may lack proper direction due to overuse of subcontracting. Industry safety advocates claimed the situation was so out of hand that in some cases, it was hard to determine who was in charge of a given job or whether they even had the proper insurance and credentials to do the work at hand.

Maryland patients may benefit from new technology that seeks to make up for inaccuracies in diagnostic processes. Although one in seven males suffer from prostate cancer, current techniques for diagnosing the disease commonly fail to catch it in time for effective treatment due to its lack of early symptoms. Annual prostate cancer screenings, often referred to as PSA tests, have also been known to result in false negatives in patients who actually have cancer.

Statistics say that prostate cancer claimed the lives of more than 27,000 men in the United States in 2015. To improve prognoses for suspected cancer sufferers, multiple startup firms have invested in diagnostic technologies known as liquid biopsies. Instead of using invasive tissue samples to hunt for cancer markers, these tools rely on the fact that cancer cells often release small quantities into the bloodstream.