scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation of Workplace Incidents Involving Machinery

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Ziernicki
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Product Liability ◽  
Product Safety ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Product Defect ◽  
Engineering Investigation

On many occasions, a forensic engineer faces numerous questions when investigating workplace incidents involving machinery, such as: Why did this incident happen? Was it the operator who caused the incident? Was the operator properly trained? Was the equipment properly maintained? Was the equipment defectively designed or manufactured? This paper focuses on potential product defect issues. How can one determine whether the product was defec-tive and unreasonably dangerous? The paper outlines issues related to the investigation of product liability cases, and discusses potential procedures and steps to be taken in order to establish whether the product is defective or unreasonably dangerous. The author explains the role of industrial regulations and standards from sources such as the Code of Fed-eral Regulations (CFR), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and other entities in the process of as-sessing product safety. In addition, the role of the safety triad, technical and economic feasibility, and warnings/instructions in assessing product safety are examined. The author also discusses another useful approach to safety: implementation of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Finally, two product cases are presented to illustrate the process of safety analysis and investigation.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation of Above-Ground Pool Submersion Accidents

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ziernicki ◽  
William H. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Swimming Pool ◽  
Consumer Product Safety Commission ◽  
Adult Supervision ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Product Defect ◽  
Engineering Investigation ◽  
Alternative Designs

In the United States, approximately 35 children under the age of five years old drown each year after access-ing above-ground pools via pool ladders. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data also shows that approximately 486 additional children sustain submersion-related injuries after accessing above-ground pools via pool ladders. In many cases, these events occurred during brief lapses of adult supervision. This paper fo-cuses on potential product defect issues related to child submersion accidents, including the role of user manuals, alternative designs, warnings, instructions, and child behavior testing. The authors examine the issues related to the investigation of above-ground swimming pool submersion accidents. In addition, procedures and steps are outlined that may be useful in analyzing whether the swimming pool is defective and unreasonably dangerous.

The Plaintiff's Attorney

1978 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 669-669
Author(s):  
Harry M. Philo ◽  
Linda Miller Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Product Liability ◽  
Accident Prevention ◽  
Product Safety ◽  
Social Purpose ◽  
The Social ◽  
Trial Judges

The social purpose of product liability litigation is product safety and accident Prevention. The role of the Human Factors Expert in that context is to educate juries, trial judges and appellate judges, attorneys, and experts in product design. The role of the Human Factors Expert in this context also includes being educated by the attorney's hindsight and experience, the technical materials, and by due care standards rather than compromise standards.

Product safety

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Юрий Берновский ◽  
Yuriy Bernovskiy
Keyword(s):  
Product Safety ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Training Manual ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Environmental Requirements ◽  
State Educational ◽  
Technical Regulations

The training manual contains a brief summary of the legislative framework for product safety. The role of technical regulations, national standards as a regulatory framework for product safety and environmental requirements is shown. Separate chapters are devoted to the safety of machinery and equipment, chemical, light, food and other products. At the same time, the fundamental technical regulations containing General requirements for the safety of product classes and national standards, the application of which ensures the implementation of product safety requirements, are considered. Meets the requirements of the Federal state educational standards of higher education of the last generation. It is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as for specialists of enterprises and organizations engaged in the development of standards and specifications that establish requirements for the quality and safety of products.

When Do Firms Conform to Regulatory Control? The Effect of Control Processes on Compliance and Opportunism

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Gilliland ◽  
Kenneth C. Manning
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Product Safety ◽  
Regulatory Control ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Social Control Theory ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Control Processes ◽  
Empirical Context ◽  
Safety Rules

The authors use social control theory to develop a conceptual model that addresses the effectiveness of regulatory agencies’ (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration) field-level efforts to obtain conformance with product safety laws. Central to the model are the control processes agencies use when monitoring organizations and enforcing the safety rules. These approaches can be labeled formal control (e.g., rigid enforcement) and informal control (e.g., social instruction). The theoretical framework identifies an important antecedent of control and the relative effectiveness of control's alternative forms in gaining compliance and reducing opportunism. Furthermore, the model predicts that the regulated firms’ level of agreement with the safety rules moderates the relationships between control and firm responses. A local health department's administration of state food safety regulations provides the empirical context for testing the hypotheses. The results from a survey of 173 restaurants largely support the proposed model. The study findings inform a discussion of effective methods of administering product safety laws.

A Review of United States Arboricultural Operation Fatal and Nonfatal Incidents (2001–2017): Implications for Safety Training

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
John Ball ◽  
Shane Vosberg ◽  
Timothy Walsh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Safety Training ◽  
National Standards ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Hazard Sources

The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the hazards present during arboricultural operations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Fatality and Catastrophe incident database and other Bureau of Labor Statistic sources were analyzed for arboricultural operation incidents within the 17-year period from 2001 through 2017. There were 865 fatal and 441 nonfatal incidents reviewed from this period. The leading four fatal incidents, from the largest to the smallest number of fatalities, were climber falls, workers struck by a falling tree, workers making indirect contact with an electric current, and workers struck by a falling branch. Climber falls were also the leading incident for severe nonfatal injuries, followed by ground workers struck by a falling branch, workers struck by a chain saw, and falls by aerial device operators. The American National Standards Institute Z133 American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations—Safety Requirements establishes safety requirements and recommendations for arboricultural operations in the United States. It addresses common hazard sources and has guidelines to avoid, eliminate, or reduce them. Safety training programs should emphasize the most common hazard sources for fatal and nonfatal incidents and follow the ANSI Z.

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