Machinery
Testified regarding control and safety guards for a wide variety of
machines. As a designer and manufacturer of special equipment for many years,
extensive background was utilized to evaluate many machines. These machines
have ranged from all types of machine tools to equipment that grinds wooden logs.
Construction Equipment
Analyzed construction equipment regarding tip-over accidents.
Malfunctions of the control systems and of the power train. Equipment analyzed has included front-end loaders, paving machines and concrete pumping
machines.
Conveyors
Testified in cases where conveyors started unexpectedly and operators were
entrapped within the rollers and belts. Conveyors investigated have included
both auger and belt conveyors.
Cranes and Hoists
Analyzed equipment involved in tip-over accidents and in electrocution
injuries. The equipment was operated remotely and by direct hands-on levers.
Farm Machinery
Testified regarding tractor rollover injuries and auger conveyor entrapment
injuries. Studied a wide variety of different farm machines. Typically, the
cause of the accident was improper guarding and warnings.
Food Processing Equipment
Testified regarding equipment used in pizza restaurants and in manufacturing
various food products. Often the cause of the injury was the coasting of the
cutting blades after the machine was shut off.
Fork Lift Trucks
Analyzed accidents involved with roll over injuries and improper use of the
trucks. Inadequate driver training has also been an issue.
Machine Tools
Analyzed various control systems and guards for a wide variety of machine
tools. Having owned and operated many different machine tools, an extensive
background was used in these cases.
Printing Machines
Analyzed printing machines used in schools to assess the safety of the
equipment. Lack of guarding and coasting after shut down were consideration
in these cases.
Punch Presses
Analyzed guards and control systems. The difficulty in interconnecting the
guard and the control system was often an issue.
Saws
Analyzed metal and wood cutting saws. The objective was to assess the
guards to determine whether they satisfied established standards. Often the
issue of 'kick-back' was part of the analysis.
Garbage Dumpsters
Analyzed their tipping stability as determined by the width of the base, the
center of gravity and the weight of the unit.
Medical Implants
Testified regarding the mechanical strength of such implants as
intramedullary nails and hip joint replacements. The analyses have centered
on the strength of the implant, the forces and thus stresses that the implant
must resist and the manufacturing processes used to manufacture the implant.
Fire Causation
Analyzed equipment that was thought to have caused a fire by tipping over or
by an electrical malfunction. The tipping stability of a gas-fired heater was
an issue in one case. The electrical grounding was an issue in another case.
Slip and Fall
Analyzed coefficient of friction and different kinds of 'hidden hazards'
that caused a person to fall. Equipment was used to measure the coefficient
of friction under various conditions and often with the injured person's
actual shoe that was worn at the time of the accident.