A recently held Trades Union Congress (TUC) meeting saw the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists put forward a motion demanding the assessment of risks associated with wearing high heels at workplaces. The motion also urged all employers to impose an immediate ban on all policies that made the wearing of high-heeled shoes by women mandatory.

Lorraine Jones of the Society noted that many retail sector bosses force women workers to wear high heels as part of their dress code and urged them to allow women to choose their dresses. The motion said about two million days are lost per year as workers suffer from limb disorders and stay away from work. It revealed that joint and limb problems are often caused by the constant use of high heels and that the National Health Service (NHS) spends millions of pounds every year to treat foot disorders.

However, Lorraine Monk of the University and College Union (UCU) opposed the motion saying the media will portray it as an act of fashion policing, even though its intention is the welfare of women workers. She questioned why the motion only imposes regulations on women while leaving men free to do whatever they like.

She pointed out that the dress codes were always framed by men and narrated a case, which was successfully fought by her union, involving a mandate in a college that had banned all sleeveless and short-sleeved dresses for women lectures.

Monk said the issue of high heels was one that had women divided for and against it, and suggested that the union should rather take up the matter of all improper dresses at workplace. She also said that heels represented a much wider debate on gender roles and therefore should be left aside.

She called for a debate on the women

What’s the old saying, “the only thing that’s constant is change” but in the world of the paralegal there is one small caveat to that old adage when it comes to certification. Like most professions, changes in technology, rules and regulations have dictated rather dramatic changes in how an individual is trained and that holds true for paralegals. However, the requirement to become certified has remained unchanged; which means there is no certification requirement. Of course, a good percentage of fresh faced paralegal school trained graduates do take one of the many certification tests available shortly after graduation but the fact remains it’s still not required.

Key factors to keep in mind when evaluating the quality of any paralegal program:

1. Paralegal courses should teach usable job skills along with the underlying legal theory. The paralegal schools curriculum should also cover torts, contracts, legal writing and legal research, ethics and litigation. Paralegal courses should be geared towards developing students’ communication skills, their critical thinking and their skill set in dealing with ethical issues. Paralegal degree programs should also include a way to gain experience such as an internship, clinical experience or practicum.

2. Who are players behind the scenes? Who put the paralegal curriculum together and who is teaching it? Do the staff and the paralegal schools program director have top notch credentials? The paralegal teaching staff should have field experience in the subject they are teaching be considered an “expert” on that subject. The curriculum director should have an advanced degree in a related field at worst but preferably they have a law degree or a bunch of paralegal work experience and an advanced paralegal degree.

3. An ever increasing number of paralegal colleges now offer online paralegal programs. Granted, online training has become more popular over the past few years, primarily because of its’ convenience and cost savings but regardless of the reasons why it has become so popular you must determine if it’s right for you. A key factor you may want to ask yourself is, “Do I have the ambition and focus to complete the homework and watch all the lectures on my own?” If no, look for the nearest campus and if yes, getting your paralegal degree online may be the best thing since sliced bread.

Even if long term you have aspirations to become an attorney, beginning your career in law as a paralegal is a smart first step. Becoming a paralegal will enable you to get your foot in the door of the legal field, which will open up additional opportunities whether you decided to pursue your law degree or continue to work as a paralegal. Regardless, a paralegal career offers countless opportunities.

If you are looking into a loan mod, you have to realise that lenders do not want to modifiy your loan in the first place. Thus,if you want a loan mod, if you want to ward off foreclosure, you must make the first movement.

Your loan modification expert should ask you a few simple questions:

1. What percentage of yourgrossincome (your income before tax deductions) is now devoted to housing costs, meaning mortgage principal, interest, taxes and insurance ? PITI.

2. How much could you pay each month if PITI was limited to 38 percent of your gross income?

3. How much could you pay each month if PITI was limited to31 percentof your gross income? This is an important question because the FDIC has been using a 31-percent benchmark when modifying loans made by IndyMac, the lender taken over by the FDIC in 2008. The 31-percent standard has now spread to other programs.

4. What are your assets? Include such items as savings accounts, IRAs, other retirement accounts, certificates of deposit, stock, bonds, vehicles, other real estate. Be sure to include account numbers, the date when valued, contact information for the account holder such as a brokerage or bank, balances and required payments.

5. What is the value of your home? Local real estate brokers may be willing to help provide a general valuation on a pro bono basis with a comparative market analysis (CMA)or abroker?s price opinion (BPO)? it?s good PR for the broker and you could be a future source of referrals and business.

6. What are your debts? Include credit cards with account numbers, account information, total debt and required monthly payments. Also, student debts, auto loans, other mortgages, etc. Again, show account numbers, balances, required payments and contact information.

7. What are your typical monthly expenses for utilities, condo fees, gasoline, health insurance, child care, alimony, etc.

The next step in getting a home loan modification is making sure you have the right amount of money to pay for the process. A loan mod typically costs between $1995 and $3995. Some companies offer financing for loan mod fees which can help if you are low on cash.

In yet another incident of an employer’s careless attitude, a delivery driver named David McCulloch injured his hand due to a faulty van door leaving his index finger broken and leading to his absence from work for almost one and a half months. He was granted £7000 as compensation.

David, who works for food delivery firm 3663 Ltd, was performing his duty of delivering bread buns to Burger King in Newmarket when the incident occurred. His hand was trapped due to the sudden slamming of the van’s defective door. The employees of Burger King could not free his hand and had to intimate the fire service who then used their cutting equipment to release his hand.

After the incident, David contacted his union, the GMB who directed Thompsons Solicitors for legal assistance in claiming damages. However, the firm 3663 Ltd accepted the offence and paid the compensation to the victim in an out-of-court settlement.

David now works for another company as a driver and feels glad that he has recovered from his hand injury. However, he feels unhappy for the fact that he had to stay away from work for almost seven weeks due to this mishap.

Carol Sears from the GMB expressed concern over the employers’ irresponsible behaviour towards their employees stating that David had to go through a lot of pain and trauma due to the accident caused by the defective door. Carol added that the employer should not have left the victim to work with defective equipment.

Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions to employees with regard to health and safety issues. An accredited health and safety course by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities to carry out their duties at work more effectively and to protect the organisations for which they work.

Martin Fell from Thompsons Solicitors also shared a similar opinion when he stated that it was the employer’s responsibility to provide workers with a safe working atmosphere. He added that the said accident could have been averted had the firm been sensitive to workers’ safety. He also pointed out that there was a need for routine check up of the vehicles that were used by the company for these jobs.

On May 1, 2009, there had been a recall of 14 Hydroxycut diet-aid products coming from a number of reports that people using the products were developing serious liver problems and other health worries. Less than a week later, on May 4, the first Hydroxycut class action suit was filed against the company that manufactures the products, Iovate Medical Sciences. The Hydroxycut Settlements alleges company negligence in informing the public about potential risks of the products. Naturally, it’s too soon to understand the suit is going to turn out, but if the company had information which it didn’t divulge to consumers, it should definitely be held accountable.

A class action legal action is filed by a bunch of folk, all of whom have similar claims against a certain company. Filing a class action is just as effective, and far less pricey, than filing an individual suit. As a rule, filing a class action lawsuit won’t cost anything unless there’s a settlement. At that time, the attorney who handled the suit will take his costs from the compensation that got given and then assign the leftover funds to the litigants in the case. Since this is the case, you will be able to file a Hydroxycut class action suit without paying a penny out of your own pocket, which is one of the reasons that class action lawsuits have become so popular.

The initial class action lawsuit against Iovate was filed in Canada where the company is found and represents all Canadian voters who sustained health problems due to Hydroxycut products. The FDA recall happened in the U. S. Where twenty-three cases of liver disorders and other health issues had been reported. Health Canada failed to receive any reports of liver damage caused by the diet products, but they did receive seventeen reports concerning people who sustained respiratory, neurological, cardio, and gut problems as a result of Canadians using the products.

The Hydroxycut Settlement Suit alleges that the products without correctly informing the products without properly informing the health hazards that they could exposing shoppers to. The complaint states the company failed to publish the information on the product labels stating that users could run the risk of liver and kidney damage as well as stomach, cardio, respiration, and neurological problems. The suit goes on to claim this was a blatant omission on the part of the company which purposely misled buyers concerning the security of the products.

A survey of 3,347 Finnish employees aged 30 to 64 has revealed that poor team spirit at work increases risks of depression, and consequently the use of antidepressants. The study, which was published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal questioned participants about their work environment, how they perceived it in terms of team spirit, the level of control their jobs offered, and the use of effective communication at their workplace.

The respondents were also asked to assess whether their work environment welcomed new ideas or whether it was biased and conservative, as well as whether they found their workplace pleasant or hostile. The study took into account the employees’ lifestyle, including their living arrangement and easy access to health services.

The subjects were then monitored over a period of three years for symptoms of depression and use of anti depressants, to find out a correlation between the workplace related factors and the mental health of the employees.

The study showed that the employees who perceived the team spirit at their workplace as poor were 60% more likely to suffer from depression and 50% more likely to use antidepressants than those who were satisfied with their work environment.

Commenting on the results, the authors emphasised that psychosocial disorders ought to be given more consideration in controlling the prevalence of depression. They pointed out that the period from 1990 to 2005 witnessed a worrying sevenfold jump in the use of antidepressants, and unless the root causes of the problem were dealt with, the situation was likely to get worse.

All staff and management must be fully aware of and comply with health and safety regulations as laid down by law. Click here for all the nebosh course informtion you need or contact the experts at Workplace Law Training.

Since a multitude of real estate developers are facing the huge brunt of the economic crisis, they are being enticed to cut corners in property development. However, they could be out of business if they compromise on health and safety practices.

The HSE gave a warning to the builders on the 23rd of February in a campaign to increase awareness among builders of their health and safety obligations whilst being involved in the property business.

Several studies have proved that numerous small builders are not even aware of their legal duties that they have to adhere to, under the Construction Regulations Act, 2007.

An officer from the London office of HSE’s Construction Division, Mr. Richard Boland stated that around 50 people lost their lives on these projects last year and many others were seriously injured or fell ill owing to reduced-efforts on health and safety practices.

Any property company needs to understand his responsibilities towards his workmen in their safety and well being. The HSE has involved many construction and property dealers as a part of the campaign to improve health and safety.

Make sure that your business is compliant with HSE regulations by enroling your staff and managers onto the range of iosh courses available from the experts at Workplace Law Training.

Alot of people who received durom acetabulum applied in their hip cup replacement surgical processes are learning that there are difficulties that far exceed the conventional expectations for recovery. These poor people are feeling a lot of additive pain sensation for longer time periods, needing a revision operations and magnified medical expenses, and losing income by being taken out of the workplace at their regular businesses. Although Zimmer Holdings, Inc. is postulating that that their hip replacement implant is not faulty and have basically denied blame for the faililng hip implants, several unfortunate people are filing cases against them and taking settlements.

These miserable individuals definitely merit some help and restitution which is the main reason product liability lawyers are encouraging them to file lawsuits. larry dorr has been paying out of court for some of these claims. Nevertheless, even if the money they are being offered by all standards seems reasonable, in most cases people are resolving too quickly and with no allowance being made for on-going issues in the future. Without waiting to find out what an actual case is worth, individuals might find themselves incurring alot more expenses from their own pocket when further complications return.

Anyone who realizes they probably have a claim against Zimmer may consider looking into it. If you imagine you might qualify, you should probably telephone a lawyer to be certain. Try to find a lawfirm that covers countrywide and who has a main focus on litigation against defective medical devices. This law firm has gone so far as to setup a special section to uncover the details and process claims against Zimmer and obtain nice sized settlements for their customers.

If your orthopedic surgeon tells you that youre going to need revision surgical process to correct your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, call an lawyer right away.

As soon as attorney figures out that you havea viable case, be prepared to wait in order to get the best settlement that you can get. Heed the good advice that your attorney gives to you and do not get impatient and demand a quick timeframe for restitution. This is the time to be patient and ensure the largest amount of money available to you.

It has not been a good couple of weeks for the police around the country as accusations of all kinds have been flying in all directions, as is the nature of these things regardless of their truth or not some accusations will stick with the police for a long time.

The result of all this slinging of mud is that the Metropolitan Police Service is to be the subject of an enquiry into the organisations attitudes in the areas of race and faith. Boris Johnson newly fledged Lord Mayor of London will commission the inquiry from his other position as Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA).

He says he has taken this step because of the almost unrelenting interest from the media into just how the Met handle situations with different races and religious denominations.

One focus will be just how black and other ethnic police progress through the police ranks. The enquiry is also in response to the Black Police Association saying that it would actively discourage ethnic young people from joining the Met. The reason they gave the Guardian newspaper was that they believe that racism was an institution within the force including the high management at Scotland Yard.

The Mayor said he was hopeful that changes to the organisations structure and attitude over the last few years with regard to racism and religious tolerance had been effective. But if the enquiry discovers that this is not the case then new stronger regulations would be introduced to deal with the situation.

Workplace Law Training run some really good courses on employment law and health and safety, including NEBOSH general certificate courses.

Free Patent Search Training in Free Patent Database online

The first step to find out if you invention can be patented is to conduct a free patent search online in any free patent information database online. How can you do a free patent search to find out if your invention can be patented?

Some of the most popular free patent databases in the world are http://www.uspto.gov, http://ep.espacenet.org, http://www.wipo.int and http://www.surfip.gov.sg.

We will briefly discuss in this article how you can conduct a Free Patent Search in USPTO database. This is the first of the seven articles that we will write to teach any one to use USPTO website to conduct patent search.

USPTO database contains over 33 million patent documents and is updated every week. The website is probably the largest patent website in the world. It provides a free patent search facility for both beginners and advanced users.

How can I conduct Patent Search at USPTO?

The answer to this question is given in a technical way in many websites. We will try to avoid the jargon and we will try to enable even a layperson that is not exposed to search databases regularly to do it easily.

The USPTO deals with conducting a Patent Search using its freely searchable patent database through the Internet. The instructions are given at
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/step7.htm The USPTO stresses the importance on 7 Steps each one to be done one after the other.

The Patent Search website Tmpsearchers.com has started a patent training course online. We can train you online wherever you live and the lessons and exercises are sent on a daily basis for three weeks. We teach a simplified version of methods to our students using Free Patent Databases. Although a paid database is more users friendly, the official free databases are updated with regular data and the expensive paid databases take some time (a short time) to update themselves to be current. Therefore it is necessary to conduct a search in the official free patent databases online even after using paid patent databases. A proper training and search strategy for free databases is therefore very important.

One problem is that the USPTO does not allow you to do the free patent search on patents granted prior to 1976 unless you start the patent search with the class and sub class alone. So you need to identify the classes and then do a patent research of pre 1976 patents also.

Our method slightly differs from the methodology advised by USPTO and consists of 9 Steps.

1. Start the search with some relevant keywords

When you do a search using USPTO you will go to the search inter-face at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html Start with the issued patents and start with using some keywords, which are relevant to your invention. You may use either the quick search method or the advanced search method. Be sure to study the help pages at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/help.htm and especially the page at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/helpadv.htm if you are going to use the advanced search method.

2. You will get some results and by using more relevant keywords you can reduce the number of patent titles to a minimum of about 40. Please keep a record of all the keywords that you used.

3. Please note all the classifications of cited in these patents. Note both the US Classification and the International Classification of Patents. This is a must.

4. Repeat the patent search with the Published Applications using http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.html Again record the search queries and the classifications.

5. Now study the classifications that are repeated time and again in your results and try to narrow down the invention to some particular classifications. It is not very difficult to do although it will take some time.

You may learn the other four steps by in our patent training web page.

These steps should give you a very comprehensive picture of the free patent search that can be done at USPTO.

A similar strategy can be followed at other free patent databases online using the International classifications that you have identified.

Working at the Free Patent Search website Tmpsearchers.com we find that we are able to find patents easily when we do patent search this way, but the key here is to master the keywords to be applied to conduct the patent search. If you want to know more or learn other advanced techniques of patent search using the free patent search interface of USPTO patent database, please contact us for any help needed.

Copyright 2005 Tmpsearchers.com

Ramaswami a Patent and Trademarks Attorney in India provides free counseling in Patents and trademarks in India. Know more about the services you can ask for at http://www.tmpsearchers.com/contact.asp