ESi Presents at XXIXth Annual ISOES Conference

AURORA, IL - JUN 27, 2017 - Lifting and loading platforms are commonly used to move heavy equipment, materials, cargo, and/or people, and can be found in a wide variety of commercial, construction, industrial and manufacturing operations. These platforms are often purpose-built, hydraulically or electrically operated, and designed with a range of safety mechanisms, including fall protection systems. When a tanker truck driver fell from an elevated height and sustained injuries during a loading operation, ESi consultants Dennis B. Brickman, Erick H. Knox, Daniel H. Kruger, Rod A. Brewster and Joel A. Lueck were asked to investigate what happened and whether the fall occurred from the loading platform or the tanker truck.

Mr. Brickman recently presented their findings at the 2017 ISOES conference in Seattle, Washington – a leading international forum for practitioners and researchers involved in the design and analysis of safe human work systems. In their paper, “Tanker Truck Loading Platform Fall Protection Accident Reconstruction Analysis,” the authors detail their investigation, including the accident reconstruction, analysis of the fall protection systems on the loading platform, and a review of the safety practices in place to help prevent against a fall injury.

Preliminary findings guided the development of laboratory test protocols using an anthropomorphic dummy to simulate various truck driver fall scenarios from the loading platform and the tanker truck. Additional testing was conducted with a human surrogate to evaluate the potential to slip on the loading platform surface. Six separate fall scenarios were analyzed as part of the accident reconstruction based on eyewitness accounts, anthropomorphic dummy testing, human surrogate platform testing, and applicable laws of physics. Laser scans, photographs and measurements were used to create powerful 3-D visuals of the incident site and show the different fall scenarios.

Based on their analysis, it is likely that the tanker truck driver fell from his tanker trailer. The paper was published as part of the conference proceedings. To find out more about the paper and presentation, you can reach Dennis Brickman at dbbrickman@engsys.com. Mr. Brickman also served as the ISOES conference co-chair for the session on “Prevention Through Design and Reconstruction”.

ESi is a full-service engineering, scientific, and technical consulting firm with locations coast-to-coast. With state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and an extensive, national network of qualified professionals in almost every technical discipline, ESi can deploy the right team for virtually any project. For more information about ESI, visit www.engsys.com.