Product Defects, Equipment Failure & Employee Safety

Establishing “Why” Since 1966

One of the most important responsibilities employers have is to maintain the safety of their employees. In 2012 there were about 3 million reported cases of employees being injured on the job. Of those cases, over 900,000 were categorized as lost time injuries. Additionally, almost 5 thousand people lost their lives due to work related accidents.

Unfortunately, not all workplace mishaps can be avoided, but it is critical for employers to emphasize work place safety and find the best ways to protect their employees to minimize the potential for such loss of life.

Two of the more common causes of accidents in the workplace are defective equipment failures and defective products. Sometimes the equipment or product failure is caused by lack of routine maintenance or operator error. Other times it is caused by defects from the manufacturer or supplier. From a legal and insurance standpoint, the source and causation of the defect is important to understand.

If a defect is not caused through the operation activities there are many other potential causations such as defective material, inappropriate design, manufacturing process, handling, packaging, storing or shipment methods utilized. Each of these can have a profound effect on the way the identified piece of equipment or product performs its planned function. As a result the manufacturer of the part, the wholesaler, the assembling entity, the distributor, and/or the final destination vendor could be held responsible.

The experts at Forensic Analysis & Engineering help “Establish Why” the employee injury or fatality occurred through our court accepted practices. Our knowledge in the areas of mechanical engineering, material engineering, and industrial machinery helps identify the hidden causes of the failure in relation to the mishap. Our experts’ diverse array of expertise ranges in size, scope and complexity to include power generating steam boilers, earth movers, elevators, residential HVAC systems, LPG grills and complex industrial machinery to name only a few. FAEC’s response team will analyze the mechanical system or industrial component thoroughly in order to identify the cause of the equipment or product failure. Upon completion of our investigation, our engineers will identify and recommend the best corrective actions and will work with our client as needed to ensure safe compliance. Understanding “Why” can help protect the employee and the employer by helping to prevent future accidents.