Why Should I be Concerned About Galvanic Corrosion?
Leave a CommentIt is fairly common knowledge that the use of dissimilar metals in plumbing systems can quickly result in a leak due to a corroded pipe or fitting. (more…)
Forensic Engineers and Consultants
Tag Archive: forensic consultant
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Who is Responsible for a “Booby Trap” Opening on a Roof Top? Part 3
Leave a CommentAs an experienced safety consultant, I have investigated many incidents in my career in which a worker “falls through an opening.” The majority of these incidents have occurred at construction sites and most resulted in serious injury or death. (more…)
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Uninvited House Guests: Mold and Other Fungal Growths
Leave a CommentThe wet, relatively warm weather recently experienced in the southeast has caused a high incidence of mold and other fungal growth complaints in homes and other structures. Engineers at Warren are often called upon to investigate the cause(s) of these problems. (more…)
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Analysis of Double Fatality Fire Allegedly Caused by a Portable Electric Heater
Leave a CommentWhen fires occur, the effect on people’s lives is often devastating. This is especially true with fires that cause the death of a child. Clearly it is important to try and find the causes of such fires so that they can be prevented in the future. In such circumstances, it is especially important to follow a rigorous methodology in investigating the origin and cause of a fire. Investigators following a less than rigorous methodology may reach improper conclusions. Such was the case in a devastating fire investigated by Warren that was improperly alleged to have been caused by a supposedly defective product, a small electric space heater.
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Flood Damage to Electrical Equipment
Leave a CommentAs a result of the recent weather, those of us in South Carolina have gained a renewed appreciation of the damage that can result from flooding. Even a few inches of flood water can result in property damage and a loss of services in addition to the immediate risk of physical harm. (more…)
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Manufacturer Settles with Operator Injured by a Flying Tool Fragment from Milling Machine
Leave a CommentIn my June 2015 blog, I discussed a personal injury case where the jury decided that the lack of interlocks on the covers of a swamp cooler did not render it defective, even though it was technologically feasible to do so and their existence would have prevented the amputation. Conversely, in another interesting personal injury case involving a computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine, a large settlement was made by the manufacturer with the injured operator because the machine did not have adequate interlocks on its enclosure doors. (more…)
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Air Conditioning Evaporators
Leave a CommentThis is the third and final of three articles concerning the basics of air conditioning systems. This article concerns the evaporator, a part of the air conditioning system that is usually unseen inside the air handling unit. The evaporator, in concert with a fan, supplies cool air to a building interior. (more…)
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Firefighter Burned Due to Improper Industrial Oven Design and Operation
Leave a CommentIndustrial ovens and furnaces are used in many manufacturing processes. One use of industrial ovens is for drying and curing coatings on fabrics.
We investigated a fire loss involving a very large oven, 10 stories high, used for curing coatings on an industrial fabric. A young firefighter was burned in response to this fire, one of a string of many fires that had occurred involving the oven.
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Air Conditioning Condensing Units
Leave a CommentThe condensing unit is a key component of all vapor compression air conditioning systems. We are all familiar with condensing units as the noisy exterior portions of air conditioning systems that blow hot air to the environment. (more…)
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Gas Cylinder Leaks: What’s that Odor? Get out quick!
Leave a CommentPressurized cylinders filled with various gases are very common, from the propane fuel tank under your barbeque grill to acetylene for welding to fluorine for production of many common products. A leak from almost any of these can cause damage or significant losses, from a fire to physical injury, or asphyxiation.
Owner protection against losses and injury can range from nothing to significant, such as storage in ventilated closets or gas detection alarms. In one case the regulator valve on a small CO2 cylinder used in a bar to pressurize beer kegs broke off. The cylinder rocketed around the bar room, causing at least one serious injury. (more…)
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