How do you match the experience of an individual who developed and deployed the global health and safety management system for a Fortune 500 company with 250 locations in 50 countries? Or one that has been responsible for the handling of chemical, biological, and physical agents for more than 35 years? As the Director of Global Health and Safety for AMP, Inc., Ron was responsible for occupational health, safety, indoor environmental quality, ergonomics/human factors, and training issues. For 29 years in insurance loss control and private industry, he constantly applied his knowledge and experience in environmental and occupational health and safety services to eliminate or minimize risks to people, products, and the environment. He’s familiar with OSHA and numerous EPA regulations and product warning issues. Ron also was a college instructor in his field for 16 years, and has earned eight different certifications and registrations, including Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) in Comprehensive Practice, Certified Safety Professional (CSP), and Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE). He’s a Diplomate of the Academy of Industrial Hygiene, a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Furnace Maintenence - Expert Investigates Workplace Burn: $1.5 Million Settlement
A 57-year-old diabetic journeyman pipefitter, was hired to work on the overhaul of an industrial furnace. On the day of his injury, the victim worked approximately 10 hours, spending the better part of the day standing on and off the throat of the furnace in order to replace burners in the refiner. The inside temperature in the throat that day was raised to approximately 2000 degrees. When he went home after work and removed his work boots, he discovered that the soles of his feet had been seriously burned. Industrial Hygienist, Ron Schaible, was retained to determine if the manufacturer created a dangerous condition that contributed to the plaintiff’s injuries. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Mercury Poisoning - Expert Investigates Exposure at Manufacturing Facility
Workers in a fluorescent lighting manufacturing facility were exposed to mercury from recycling operations and were injured. Numerous plaintiffs were diagnosed with mercury poisoning. Robson Forensic expert, Ron Schaible, was retained by plaintiffs’ counsel to investigate this incident. View Full Our Work HERE
- Indoor Air Quality - Expert Presentation on Sick Buildings
Ronald D. Schaible, CIH, CSP covered the subject of indoor air quality (including mold) and the various causes, manifestations, health effects, evaluation methods, and selected control measures associated with “sick buildings,” including workplaces. How these issues apply to litigation of personal injury, property damage and worker’s compensation claims, as well as the identification of potentially responsible parties. View Full Speaking Engagement HERE
- Fluorine Gas - Expert Investigates Exposure from Excimer Laser
Ron Schaible investigated an incident where workers in a laser laboratory were injured when they were exposed to toxic fluorine gas from an Excimer laser. The workers were working with the laser in accordance with accepted, standard operating procedures; the root cause of the failure was a broken Brewster window. This failure was investigated by a fractologist (glass expert), who was also a Robson Forensic expert. Ron determined various defective conditions that contributed to the inhalation injury, including failure to provide proper alarms (they were located too far away to notify and facilitate exit before exposure occurred), improper placement of respiratory protection in the event of an emergency (it was located outside of the laboratory), and improper ventilation in that the laser cabinet had local exhaust capabilities but was ineffective when the access panel was legitimately open and the gas escaped directly into the laboratory. Ron performed dose reconstruction calculations for various exposure scenarios, all of which strengthened the “more likely than not” opinion that the worker was overexposed to fluorine gas. View Full Our Work HERE
- Epoxy Resin - Expert Investigates Chemical Exposure at Industrial Facility
Plaintiff worked with various epoxy compounds while building aircraft components. Epoxy compounds are known potential sensitizing agents. Plaintiff worked without proper personal protective equipment (gloves) which caused skin irritation and sensitization over a nine month period. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and other product information from the chemical product manufacturer provided safety information but specific glove selection criteria was not provided. Plaintiff’s exposure to the epoxy materials caused severe skin irritation and sensitization.
RFI was retained by the plaintiff to determine whether the chemical product was defective in a manner that caused plaintiff’s injury, whether the chemical supplier violated applicable standards of care in a manner that caused plaintiff’s injury, and if the employer created a specific unsafe working condition that violated state or federal safety statutes, rules, or regulations in the industry and which created a high risk of serious injury.
RFI analyzed the safety issues of the epoxy chemicals, the adequacy of the safety information provided by the chemical manufacturer, and the actions of plaintiff’s employer regarding the standard of care required for the known specific hazard. The case settled favorably in mediation. View Full Our Work HERE
- Dust Fire - Expert Investigates Flash Fire Involving Oxyacetylene Torch
Ron Schaible investigated an incident involving a flash fire that occurred when combustible dust contacted the flame of an oxyacetylene torch. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- High Pressure Sprayer - Expert Investigates Finger Loss from Paint Sprayer
Robson Forensic was retained by plaintiff counsel on a case involving the partial loss of a finger due to high pressure injection of paint/solvent at an employer’s premises. Ron Schaible addressed multiple issues in this matter, including worker training & instruction, lack of use of guards for paint gun nozzles, and warnings. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Agricultural Machinery Operator Safety
Presents an alternative way of looking at Agricultural Safety, that is, by applying
Forensic lnvestigation, forensic Engineering, and Forensic Science techniques to
accidents and illnesses specifically involving the operator. View Full Article HERE
- Forensic Ergonomics: An Introduction to Theory and Practice
The field of human factors/ergonomics has grown into countless areas of human-system
interactions, from product and machine design to driver safety and workplace injury
reduction. There is now a large body of well established and empirical research to serve as the
foundation for analyzing personal-injury and property-damage incidents to determine what
happened, why it happened, could it have been safely mitigated, and who was responsible to
ensure it did not happen. As such, human factors/ergonomics scientists and practitioners are
being called upon in greater numbers to assist the courts in determining just outcomes for
litigants. Their analyses and conclusions are being used to establish theories of liability for
assigning corporate and social responsibility as well as defenses to such allegations. View Full Speaking Engagement HERE
- Workplace Ergonomics - Expert Investigates Railroad Worker’s Comp Claim
A railroad worker had surgery for bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and claimed a repetitive strain injury (RSI) was the cause. He alleged that he had been injured due to ergonomic hazards from the tools, machine and equipment he used, and the work tasks he performed in the course of his employment. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Bromine Exposure - Expert Investigates Chemical Release from Brominator
While at work, a building maintenance contract employee was adding bromine tablets to a brominator when there was a severe chemical reaction. The brominator was part of a water treatment system, which had changes made to its piping system. It was located in the chemical feed injection area of a generator room. The contents of the brominator violently released chemicals when a reaction occurred due to the presence of an incompatible substance in the brominator. The chemicals splashed into the man’s eyes and all over his body. The man, blinded and burned by the chemicals, attempted to make his way to an emergency shower which was in an adjacent building. He stumbled and fell over several obstacles before he finally reached the shower.
Robson Forensic was asked to determine if the sole emergency shower and eyewash was improperly located in a manner that contributed to the severity of the man’s injuries. We were also asked to determine if the actions of the chemical supplier were reasonable. View Full Verdicts \ Settlement HERE
- Indoor Swimming Pool Air Quality - Expert Article
Natatoriums, Pool Water Chemistry, Health Effects of pool Off-Gassing, Pool Operations Solutions, Chemical Solutions, Indoor Air Quality, and HVAC System Solutions View Full Article HERE
- Human Factors - The Science of Perception and Interaction
Robson Forensic, Inc. Human Factors experts provide scientific answers to
questions involving perception, warnings, instructions and conspicuousness. We
evaluate if the conditions that resulted in cases or claims were open and obvious
as presented to the claimant. View Full Mailer HERE
- The Role of the Indoor Environmental Professional in Mold Remediation - Expert Article
Mold is prominent in the news. But why now? This article summarizes some salient
issues involving mold, including: (a) the current status of mold “science” and
regulations; (b) what causes mold within indoor environments; (c) how the presence of
mold is evaluated, and its implications for exposure; and (d) basic considerations in
mold remediation projects. View Full Article HERE
- Perception of Risk - Expert Article
This paper presents an overview of what risk is, its relationship to hazards, how it can be assessed and used to make intelligent business decisions, and how risk may be perceived by employers, workers, and those that help decide matters involving litigation – jurors. View Full Article HERE
- Chemical Safety - Expert Investigates Exposure in Chemical Process
“If anything can go wrong, it will do so at the worst possible moment and in the worst possible ways”. Ron Schaible investigated an incident involving a runaway chemical process that was improperly engineered. Coupled with workers who were not properly trained in the hazards of the chemicals and who were not provided with proper engineering controls and proper personal protective equipment, injury was sure to result. This case settled before Ron Schaible was scheduled to be deposed. View Full Our Work HERE
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