Category: Engineering, Safety Things the Robot Safety Engineer Will Learn in Legal Depositions Now That the ISO 10218 Document Is Adopted by ANSI (The Primacy of OSHA over ISO is settled in an Ohio Court) TASA ID: 3199 America is different from all other industrial nations due to the unique American system of justice. Any company who attempts to manufacture products and systems in America must be mindful of this significant difference. To ignore the difference is imprudent and not advised. In the unique American civil justice system the use of the advocate system, trial by jury, the lack of a ‘loser pays’ process and the presence of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration sets the US apart from the rest of the industrialized world. Bluntly put: America is truly different from the rest of the world in industrial safety and our track record of safety success speaks for itself. Read more
Category: Accident Analysis / Reconstruction, Chemicals / Toxic Substances, Construction, Personal Injury, Safety Hidden Hazards of Confined Space TASA ID: 3404 Frequent headlines in breaking news stories convey the tragic results of yet another confined space fatality accident. With fatality statistics indicating that more than 60 percent of rescues in confined spaces result in a workplace fatality. Since most of these cases are fully preventable, sadly they involve local firefighters responding to trapped workers injured on the job. A common misunderstanding many people share is that local firefighters respond to emergencies fully equipped as technical rescuers. Having experience in structural fire control or vehicle emergency response doesn’t necessarily qualify one as a technical rescuer. Comprehensive training, practical experience, and a working knowledge can adequately prepare responders to engage as rescue professionals, not before. Read more
Category: Auto Safety, Automotive/Trucking, Safety CAFE Rules, Lightweight Vehicles & Questions of Safety TASA ID: 3190 Recently adopted fuel efficiency rules in the USA require that passenger vehicles must achieve an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025. This “average” is further detailed into different goals for different sizes and class of vehicles and does not mean that all automobiles have to achieve the average 54.5 mpg. However, it still represents a big jump from today’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) numbers, especially because the phased march towards this goal must begin with the 2017 vehicles. Read more
Category: Premises Liability, Product Liability, Safety, Security Recent Fires Turn Safe Deposit Vaults Into Ovens TASA ID: 1018 Over the past few months, the events that followed damaging fires at several financial institutions across the nation have significantly affected our safe deposit industry. These fires were caused by severe lightning strikes, electrical wiring problems and a carelessly discarded cigarette. After fires totaled all of these facilities, each one was confronted with some very difficult challenges and tough decisions. Read more
Category: Premises Liability, Real Estate, Safety, Security Aging Malls Breed Litigation TASA ID: 396 Prior to October of 2012, my previous shopping center personal injury case was in 2004. Since last October, I have been asked to serve as an expert witness in four litigation matters involving serious personal injury or wrongful death that happened in or around regional malls. In my analysis of this unique cluster of cases, it occurred to me that they all shared a common, but poorly understood, element that I thought worth sharing with readers of The TASA Knowledge Center. Read more
