Open AccessForensic Engineering Investigation of Workplace Incidents Involving Machinery
Author(s) -
Richard M. Ziernicki
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of the national academy of forensic engineers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.102
H-Index - 1
eISSN - 2379-3252
pISSN - 2379-3244
DOI - 10.51501/jotnafe.v32i1.9
Subject(s) - standardization , product liability , risk analysis (engineering) , product (mathematics) , process (computing) , liability , safety standards , order (exchange) , engineering , business , computer security , computer science , reliability engineering , accounting , geometry , mathematics , finance , operating system
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.