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. (more…)
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. (more…)
During winter ice storms, power to residences is often lost and homeowners revert to using gasoline powered portable electric generators. It is often thought by some homeowners that leaving a generator outside in the severe weather may damage it or affect its performance and therefore resort to bringing the unit inside the shelter, typically, the garage. This is particularly hazardous when the generator is run for an extended period of time as carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the toxic exhaust gas can cause death. In addition, other hazards including electric shock, electrocution, fire and burns potentially can occur. (more…)
The phenomena of wood igniting when exposed for extended periods of time to temperatures below wood’s published ignition temperature value has been of considerable interest in recent years. (more…)
For years, many water heater-related fires, injuries, property damage claims, and deaths were attributed to “consumer misbehavior.” By 2002, however, the NFPA National Fuel Gas Code began to reflect several key realizations: the existence of fugitive vapors and how appliance design can limit the risks they pose. (more…)
The design and installation of gas piping systems in homes and commercial buildings is guided by a set of regulations called NFPA 54 — the National Fuel Gas Code. The code, which establishes minimum safety requirements, is also used by forensic engineers to evaluate an explosion to determine cause and responsibility. (more…)
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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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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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. (more…)
WARREN’S new brand identity and communications tools have been designed to more clearly convey that which sets our firm apart: the proven ability of our engineers to deliver the truth — be it origin, cause, responsibility or cost of an event or claim — with unmistakable clarity. Our job is to bring the facts to you, and it starts with our ability to give you the information you’re looking for about our firm.
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