Forensic Engineers and Consultants

Archive: Workers’ Compensation

Forklift Falls off Loading Dock

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A forklift fell off the loading dock of a warehouse as it was in the process of entering a semi-trailer that was being loaded.  The forklift fell because the semi-trailer and the connected truck rolled away from the edge of the loading dock as the forklift passed over the dock leveler into the trailer.  The repeated braking forces of the forklift as it carried loads onto the trailer caused the trailer to move away from the loading dock. The semi-trailer wheels were not chocked to prevent movement away from the loading dock. Read More

Uncontrolled Hazards and Risk Assessments — Part Two

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In Part One, I shared a case of a machinist blinded while using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining center. The equipment, which was safeguarded, contained a known hazard, but the machine manufacturer included an interlock guard to help protect the operator during the machine’s intended use. Read More

Uncontrolled Hazards and Risk Assessments — Part One

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Machine equipment manufacturers are called upon to study potential risks of equipment before selling it in the marketplace. In addition, ANSI machine tool standards further address equipment hazards and risks that cannot be eliminated by design. In one case I investigated, the depth of that critical risk assessment became an important factor in a claim involving a machinist blinded while using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining center. Read More

Hand and Finger Injuries from a Defective Snow Blower

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Nearly everyone who lives in a snowy climate would agree that a gas powered snow blower beats a person powered snow shovel for clearing the sidewalk or driveway.  Shoveling heavy, wet snow causes injuries from back problems to heart attacks.  No wonder that gas powered snow blowers of all sizes are a popular item this time of year.  The larger ones may be ride-on types; smaller ones are typically walk-behind.  In either case there is an auger to gather the snow as the device moves forward and a bladed fan (or “blower”) to discharge it out of a chute to one side or the other.  Read More

Design Can Prevent Industrial Accidents

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Two of the top causes of workplace accidents, according to the United States Department of Labor’s Occupation Safety and Health Administration, are a lack of machine guarding and improper control of hazardous energy. At first blush, these types of incidents can mistakenly be attributed to an employee’s actions without considering how a machine’s design or the improper control of an environment or situation may have contributed.
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Protecting Industrial Employees from Workplace Hazards

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The recent Texas fertilizer plant explosion has focused the nation’s eyes on the important matter of workplace safety. When an employee is injured or killed on the job, Warren investigators are often called in to identify what went wrong and how it could have been prevented.
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Concrete Core Drill – Reducing Hazard Exposure by Design

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The safety hierarchy is a well-established principle among safety professionals. It’s a reliable and widely accepted method to minimize or eliminate exposure to hazards in products and workplaces.
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Machine Safeguarding for an Imperfect Workforce: Humans.

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Every day more than 12 people in the United States lose their lives in workplace injuries, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. In 2011, OSHA estimates, 3.3 million people suffered a workplace injury from which they may never fully recover. Two of the top ten most frequently cited OSHA standards that result in injuries and death are lockout/tagout and machine guarding. Read More

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