Months race by, so now it is time to take stock of California workers' comp after the 2017 half-way mark. What stands out?

Below, in no particular order, are my picks for the most significant topics in California workers' comp during the first half of 2017. Most of these were discussed in my blog as the year went along. Read more.

According to a new National Safety Council survey-based report, 43 percent of Americans say they do not get enough sleep to mitigate critical risks that can jeopardize safety at work and on the roads, including the ability to think clearly, make informed decisions and be productive. Eighty-one percent of  the probability-based survey respondents have jobs that are at high risk for fatigue - positions that require sustained attention or are physically or cognitively demanding, such as driving a vehicle or working at a construction site, according to the report, Fatigue in the Workplace: Causes & Consequences of Employee Fatigue.

The  survey found 97 percent of Americans say they have at least one of the leading nine risk factors for fatigue, which include working at night or in the early morning, working long shifts without regular breaks, working more than 50 hours each week and enduring long commutes. Seventy-six percent of Americans say they feel tired at work, 53 percent feel less productive, and 44 percent have trouble focusing. Fatigued employees are more likely to make safety critical errors that could lead to injury, such as crashing their vehicle. Read more.