Patrick Donohue CPE CPEng.
Biographical Info As a forensic tribologist and ergonomist I sit (on behalf of, and as Rep for, the 110,000 strong IEAust ) on the AS 4663 committee. Tribology is the key field of expertise relating to slips and trips, and so hysteresis and adhesion friction are pertinent to every such accident. Without them being included one is omitting links in the chain of causation. Dasreef v Hawchar (DvH) is a highly pertinent legal case that all experts should thoroughly understand. From our definition of ergonomics every expert report should come with a caveat (from DvH) that design, though a relevant link, is being omitted in the report – unless it is in fact included, by one having a degree in design (I do). With respect to manual handling matters it is not kilograms that cause accidents. Mass is a scalar quantity. It is a vector quantity that causes injuries, i.e, mass with direction. Thus, every ergonomic expert report should contain a force diagram, and/or force vector analysis. If it does not, again a link is being omitted. Likewise, biomechanic studies* will serve to link a given force with a given type or class of injury. Again omission of such is an omitted link. Nota Bene. By checking on omitted links in anothers report makes it ultra easy to write an objective, as oppose to a hired gun, defence report. Following and ensuring all links are included also allows for a plaintiff’s expert report with no omissions, you just have to be more fulsome in your opinions and associated scientific bases. Do be careful. 0407319310 [* Though not perfect, the Canadian Gov. OHS Agency has some very interesting detail on push/pull masses on its website.] Sadly, as a pedagogist myself (qualified too) I note there are some experts & especially OHS experts (!) who are being rather deceitful regarding their resumes. Always check everything. Penultimately, as a business, aesthetics (overlaps with ergonomics) [Accredited DesignerTM] and surface analysis (tribology again ) come together, and allow one to comment on the skill and fine brushwork, and the thus-formed images in an artwork. Unusual, yes, but not without form in the tribology literature, so, if one choses to, one finds unidentified and very old (18th & even 17th C.) master paintings in Australia. Quiz? Does EN16165 give any implied advice as to why it may well be inadvisable to bring a pendulum calibration board/tile out on a built site, even say on a mall’s terrazzo?
Contact Details
Email Address patrickdonohueexpert@outlook.com
Level CPE Member
Company: -Occupational Forensics Pty ltd.
Location: wollstonecraft, NSW
Phone: 0407 319 310